Living, Building: Switzerland's Built Environment
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ValueS Living, building: Switzerland’s built environment An information magazine of the Federal Statistical Office – Number 2/2011 Housing cooperative, Wettingen 2010 2 FSO ValeurS Foreword A few statistical building blocks to depict the built environment Dr. Jürg Marti Director General, Federal Statistical Office Neuchâtel/Switzerland The built environment, the floor area of dwellings, rents, and building costs are all topics on which the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) regularly publishes data. By bringing these subjects together in the second edition of ValueS, the FSO aims to provide the building blocks necessary for an understanding of the interactions between the different areas that make up the whole field of construction. Basic human needs are closely linked to the home: they include physiological needs, the need for security and a sense of belonging, the latter also determined by where one lives. Clearly, everyone in Switzerland would like to live in a spacious, well-equipped and reasonably priced home in pleasant surroundings. The rise in population, due mainly to longer life expectancy and immigration, the declin- ing size of households (single-person households are increasing rapidly), the desire for an ever larger living space (an average of 2.5 persons per family home) lead to the continuous expansion of the built environment for residential purposes. One of the consequences of this expansion is the disappear- ance of agricultural land in favour of areas for housing and infrastructure. The Land Use statistic bears striking witness to this development. There is a Swiss saying that says “when the construction industry is healthy, the whole economy is healthy”. Construction, which represents 5.7% of GNP, is an important economic factor. Buildings and infrastructure have to be regularly maintained, renovated and upgraded. The current favourable mort- gage rates encourage new construction. The aim of this publication is to showcase in a scientific and neutral manner the information pro- duced by statistics in order to enable a better understanding of the driving forces at work in this com- plex field. The publication “Living, building: Switzerland’s built environment” is our contribution to the current debate which should ultimately be striving for the sustainable preservation of Switzerland’s quality of life. FSO ValeurS 3 Focus: Living, building: Switzerland’s built environment The changing landscape of Switzerland’s built environment – competing interests of housing, work, mobility and leisure activities Switzerland’s settlement and urban areas have grown rapidly in recent years. The reasons for this are fast population growth and increased demands for housing, leisure and mobility. The transformation of the built environment is a reflection of social change. Felix Weibel Land is becoming a scarce resource are major differences between largely Whereas industrial and traffic areas are The built environment is constantly urban and largely rural cantons. Social for the most part sealed up, recreation spreading and buildable land is becom- development, prosperity and population facilities have a high proportion of green ing scarcer. That is why buildable land is growth are crucial factors in the expan- land. now at the centre of the debate about sion of the built environment. the landscape. What exactly are settle- New roads, commercial areas and Higher expectations from housing ment and urban areas? How are they residential buildings are for the most Families are becoming smaller and indi- used and what factors contribute to their part built on arable land, meadows and viduals occupy large dwellings for longer. transformation? orchards. In other words, 94% of newly Besides a large open-plan kitchen, today’s Settlement and urban areas comprise built areas are established on what used living standards also demand a separate the areas of the landscape used for hous- to be farmland. Most of the develop- office or a guest room with its own ing, work, mobility and leisure activities, ment is taking place in the larger urban bathroom. Economic development and which are designed and arranged accord- zones and along the transport axes of increased demands for individual hous- ingly. They may be located within or the Central Plateau. As available land ing are reflected in building activity. In outside a building zone,1 a town centre becomes more and more scarce, the well-developed larger urban zones, en- or in a remote area. Settlement and ur- construction density and redevelopment tire neighbourhoods with single-family ban areas currently account for approxi- of existing built-up areas are increasing, homes are being created; in resorts, mately 9.4% of Switzerland’s total sur- particularly in conurbations. This process holiday homes are being built on sunny face area, representing 1.7 percentage is one of the aims of land-use planners. south-facing mountain sides. At the same points or a surface area the size of the Built-up areas do not consist only of as- time, in urban areas large apartment canton of Basel-Landschaft more than phalt and concrete. The degree of soil blocks are sprouting up, often set in 24 years ago.2 Each inhabitant takes up sealing is, on average, 62%, but varies grounds that resemble modern parks an average of 382 square metres. There considerably depending on land use. with elaborate, geometrically landscaped tree groves, paved surfaces or fountains. Development of housing, work, leisure and traffic areas In the past 24 years, residential areas have grown by approximately 276 square 100 000 ha kilometres. The growing share of multi- family houses in the total residential area 75 000 ha of most cantons is an indication of the fact that building density is increasing. The improved utilisation of existing space 50 000 ha when old buildings are reconverted also points to the densification of inner-city areas. Thus, in old neighbourhoods, new 25 000 ha buildings are usually constructed with more and larger residential units. 0 ha Housing Work Leisure activities Mobility 1979/85 1992/97 2004/09 4 FSO ValeurS Focus: Living, building: Switzerland’s built environment New spatial needs of industry ever farther to reach green areas. And use of land. Stables are steadily being and commerce the more rural an area it is, the costlier expanded by the addition of training Industry and commerce want to be able it is to integrate it in the transport net- arenas and large riding halls. to act and build cost-effectively, quickly work. Thus, the area taken up by roads Because of the large number of visitors and flexibly. Building on greenfield land and motorways has grown by 14% over they receive and competition between meets this requirement. Thus, more than the past 24 years, and that taken up tourism destinations, elaborate land- 60% of new industrial and commercial by railways by 3%. scaping is taking place even in remote areas are built on arable land. The demand for parking spaces for recreational areas far from built-up The decline of industrial production stationary traffic is also growing, be- areas. Restaurants with playgrounds, and the increasing focus on the service cause more and more vehicles are put theme trails and other facilities are sector are also leading to changes in into circulation every year. For exam- being built in mountain hiking destina- spatial needs. The premises of former ple, customs facilities for heavy goods tions, and fenced-in picnic areas with industrial enterprises often remain un- ve hicles, speciality retailers and sports tables and barbecue grills are being used for many years before they are stadiums require large parking areas. built where simple campfire spots once occupied again. Manufacturing plants The total parking area grew by almost stood on the edge of forests. are reconverted into lofts or used by 2000 hectares. small businesses. Consequently, in recent Felix Weibel is a research associate specialising years central urban locations have expe- Popular sports facilities and parks in Land Use Statistics at the FSO’s Geoinformation rienced a reconstruction boom. In par- Remarkably, recreational areas, which Section ticular, locations with a good transport have increased by more than 36%, infrastructure are experiencing a major have grown considerably more than the growth spurt. Freight forwarding and settlement and urban areas as a logistics companies have chosen to set whole. Sports facilities and parks ac- up their headquarters along the motor- count for about two thirds of such ways in the Central Plateau, and shop- areas. Golf courses registered the most ping centres, speciality retailers and striking increase of all categories of automotive trade are taking up extensive settlement and urban areas. They have tracts of level building land along arte- more than quadrupled their surface rial roads and on the periphery of built- area over the past 24 years. On the up areas. other hand, garden allotments have 1 become less common, which together Built-up areas outside a building area are mainly Transport networks traffic areas, agricultural building areas, mines with the decline of planting beds in and landfills. Roads and rail links connect various house grounds, is an indication of the 2 spheres of modern life. The steady diminishing importance of food self- These data are based on the evaluation of the geodata growth of commuter and leisure traf- sufficiency. as at 1 July 2011. They comprise the surface area fic requires increasingly efficient trans- Horse riding as