Compact & regenerative – the city grows inwards

Same area, more city, more nature.

Switzerland's urban centres absorb most of the growth – through high-quality, sustainable inner-city development and managing space. This creates more living space without sealing more ground.

Current urban landscapes become more efficient, climate-proof and socially inclusive: use of existing space is exploited and converted to provide as much additional housing as possible, people come closer together – without losing privacy.

This is achieved through the efficient use of space, whereby the average living space is gradually reduced from around 46 m² today (or 43 m² per person in towns and cities) to approximately 38 m². This will generate residential capacity in the double-digit millions of square metres – enough to accommodate half of the projected growth without extending the city boundaries further into the countryside. Rejuvenating and converting derelict commercial or industrial spaces, redeveloping existing infrastructure, and introducing new concepts for adding storeys will create additional living space. Modular construction and sharing solutions will ensure that no individual comfort is lost and that changing needs are still met. This inward building boom is sustainable and green: plants and trees transform the city into an urban jungle.

What it might look like

You enter a house from the 1970s, but it's unrecognisable: a workshop, a care studio and a guest flat on the ground floor, with flexible studios and two-bedroom flats above. Thanks to mobile walls, the property can be adapted to every phase of life. Nearby, old offices have been transformed into light-filled flats with loggias and kitchenettes. A demountable timber storey was quietly and precisely installed on the roof by crane. The lift has been retrofitted to be a hybrid plug-in made from intelligent, 100% degradable materials. Roofs and façades are covered with photovoltaic panels and greenery. Rainwater harvesting areas in the form of pocket parks buffer heavy rainfall and cool down neighbourhoods. Playgrounds and outdoor sports facilities bring life to outdoor areas.

A hospitality operator runs the communal areas, which include guest rooms and dining rooms with long tables for dinner with friends. These can be booked flexibly and inexpensively via the app, and crockery and cleaning are available on request. The sharing process is straightforward and can be completed via a 360-degree concierge service. A reuse and tool depot provides building materials and equipment with a material passport, while a food depot acts as a pantry.

Right-sizing services help senior citizens move from houses or flats that have become too big into age-appropriate accommodation, or help them find suitable flatmates. They can also, on request, allocate the vacated living space to families or flat-sharing communities.

In everyday life, the compact city means: greater residential flexibility, shorter distances and more interaction, without depriving people of their privacy. This is how cities grow inwards: becoming denser, more biodiverse and more social.

More future scenarios

More about our mission "Building. Housing. Living."

_{The visualisations shown were created using artificial intelligence. They are based on technical input from experts, studies and spatial planning and urban development principles. This content was translated into precise prompts and the AI results were repeatedly checked, evaluated and refined to ensure factually plausible and visually coherent representations. The visualisations are deliberately designed to stimulate thought. They show possible future scenarios, not concrete construction plans or instructions for action. The aim is to open up new perspectives on a growing Switzerland and stimulate discussion about sustainable, liveable and communal building, housing and living.}

_{Platforms used: Veo 3.1, Nano Banana, Midjourney
Implementation partner: 2erpack Identity, Behruz Tschaitschian & Veronika Kieneke}