FDP calls for additional storeys for living in Swiss cities
Published: Monday, Apr 8th 2024, 10:50
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Wherever possible, residential buildings in Swiss cities should be raised by one or two storeys. This is what the FDP Switzerland and the FDP Urban are calling for in order to create more space for living.
There is hardly any free space left in cities for building developments, said Raphael Karlen, board member of FDP Urban, which was founded six years ago, to media representatives in Bern on Monday. The solution to creating more living space in cities and preserving green spaces in urban areas is to build up.
The FDP is calling on Swiss cities to adapt their building and zoning regulations so that houses can systematically be built one storey higher than they are today. This additional storey should be used for residential purposes. However, the FDP wants to allow exceptions - for listed buildings, for example.
"Building the city within the city" is how Geneva FDP National Councillor Simone de Montmollin described the call for inward densification. Densification is an old method: as early as the 16th century, houses in Geneva were raised to create living space for Huguenots who had fled from France.
Thanks to a law passed in 2008, additional storeys are already possible in Geneva. Even if 150 new apartments per year in Geneva made possible in this way seems low: There could be thousands nationwide. The cities and cantons are called upon to make additional storeys possible.
In Zurich, the FDP, GLP, SVP and Mitte parties have launched a popular initiative for adding storeys to existing properties. This is not intended to create an incentive to demolish houses and replace them with new buildings with more expensive apartments. The four parties were unable to push through their demand in the city parliament.
Densification in cities helps to stop urban sprawl, reduce commuter movements and preserve land for agriculture, said de Montmollin, promoting the cause. And the energy transition could also be driven forward with the additions and renovations.
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