Political driving forces of urban change

Despite local land use planning (Nutzungsplanung) the urban land-cover has increased considerably over the past decades. In this project we study the political driving forces of urbanization in four Swiss municipalities (Rapperswil SG, Jona, SG, Freienbach SZ und Rüti ZH) for the period 1970-2008. We studied (1) the effect of local land use plans on urbanization and (2) the political processes associated with development and implementation of political measures to guide urbanization.

Our results show that the local land use plans were effectiv in containing urban sprawl. Specifically, the boundaries set by the local land use plan restricted most development to building zones and promoted increased building density. However, beyond the building zones, the local land use plans were less effective, i.e. they fell short in containing sprawl and achieving compactness.

For studying the second question, we developed a actor-centered framework that integrates the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) developed by Sabatier and Jenskin-Smith (1993) into an analysis of the driving forces of land change. We found that national laws and actors formed the crucial driving forces of urban change. However, local actors and the local distribution of resources in the three municipalities were crucial in determining which strategies prevailed in particular implementations. Furthermore, we were able to explain aspects of changes in building density and extent of building zone in the three municipalities.

In conclusion, our framework helped us to identify weaknesses in municipalities’ urban management schemes and the crucial role of local actors and circumstances. Additionally, the case studies showed a need for new instruments for areas beyond the building zones.

Foto: Maria-Pia Gennaio (WSL)

Publications

Gennaio, M.-P., Hersperger, A.M., and Bürgi, M. 2009. Containing urban sprawl – evaluating effectiveness of Urban Growth Boundaries set by the Swiss Land Use Plan. Land Use Policy 26: 224-232.

Gennaio, M.-P. 2009. Politische driving forces der Urbanisierung in der Regio Agglo Obersee. Zusammenfassung der Doktorarbeit. Bericht für das Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung und für die Gemeinden Rapperswil-Jona SG, Feienbach SZ und Rüti ZH. WSL, Birmensdorf.

Gennaio, M-P. 2008. Political driving forces of urban change in the region agglomeration Obersee. Dissertation ETH Zurich. DISS.ETH NO. 17913.