Dietikon is testing what cities will need in the future

Cities are struggling with congested roads, noisy delivery vehicles and a transport system that is reaching its limits. In the Limmat Valley, four partners have decided they can’t wait any longer. They are transforming the urban area into a test bed.

In November 2025, the ZHAW, together with the logistics company Planzer, the Cleantech Hub Dietikon-Limmattal and the town of Dietikon, launched the Logistics and Mobility Living Lab. Dietikon and Zurich are making their urban areas available as a real-world laboratory. Companies, researchers, public bodies and the general public are not working in silos, but are sitting around the same table. This level of collaboration is unprecedented.

Autonomous vehicles in real-world traffic
The first priority has been set. Highly automated and autonomous vehicles are being tested in regular road traffic, not on closed-off test sites. The focus is on safety, suitability and social acceptance. The public is actively involved. Events demonstrate how autonomous vehicles recognise different traffic situations and how they react when a situation is not clearly identifiable. This builds trust. As part of the Horizon Europe project CHORUS, which runs from July 2025 to December 2028 and involves 36 partners from nine countries, Zurich is one of seven European pilot sites. Planzer and the ZHAW are directly involved as Swiss partners. Running in parallel is an Innobooster project on autonomous delivery boxes that independently supply tradespeople with spare parts.

Electricity instead of diesel, data instead of gut instinct
Electrification is no longer just a promise, but an ongoing project. As part of the EU’s NexTArc project, which starts in 2026 and runs until 2028, the Lab is developing an intelligent charging management system for electrified logistics fleets. The aim is ‘peak shaving’ – the targeted reduction of peak loads in the electricity grid. At the same time, the team is working on AI-supported route optimisation that distributes all deliveries using as few vehicle kilometres as possible. The fleet mix is managed in a data-driven manner. The result should be a supply chain that operates more efficiently, more cleanly and more predictably than it does today.

From Dietikon to the wider region
Right from the start, the Lab has been thinking beyond the city limits. Mobile microhubs in Zurich are being developed and tested as part of the Innosuisse flagship project ‘Smart Urban Multihub Concept’ until 2027. The ‘Shop&Drop’ concept links the Dietikon Lab with the Winterthur Living Lab. Gamification projects engage the public in a playful way and foster an understanding of autonomous goods mobility. The ecosystem is growing. Those testing in Dietikon today will develop standards tomorrow that will apply far beyond the city on the Limmat.

Text: Jessica Bill • Image: Logistics & Mobility Living LAB