The motion has been prompted by a delicate discrepancy in the city’s housing stock. In flats owned by the City of Zurich, the proportion of residents aged over 60 had already reached 19 per cent by the end of 2023, whilst the initiative calls for a target figure of 20 per cent. The City Council therefore argues that a rigid quota would bring little additional benefit and would be misdirected.
At the same time, pressure is mounting. By the end of 2023, 82,374 people aged 60 and over were living in the city of Zurich, representing just over 18 per cent of the population. According to the medium population scenario, this proportion is set to rise to just over 19 per cent by 2035 and to around 22 per cent by 2045. The demand for affordable and age-appropriate housing is therefore likely to continue to increase.
Quota versus flexible management
The popular initiative ‘Yes to 20 per cent of housing for the elderly in municipal properties’ was submitted in January 2024 and calls for the 20 per cent target to be enshrined in the municipal code. Residential properties where conversion to make them suitable for older people would be economically disproportionate would be exempt. The City Council confirmed the validity of the initiative in March 2024 and, in June 2025, submitted a proposal to the Municipal Council to reject it, accompanied by a counter-proposal.
This counter-proposal from the City Council is based not on a set number of reserved flats per building, but on the total municipal housing stock. The proportion of older people in the housing stock is to be based on the respective proportion of the population aged over 60. This would mean that the target would grow in line with demographic trends, rather than remaining permanently fixed at a single value.
The point of contention is 100 million Swiss francs
The proposal only became politically contentious in parliament. The City Council rejected the initiative and put forward a more far-reaching counter-proposal. This counter-proposal also links the proportion of older people to demographic trends, but additionally calls for a capital increase for the City of Zurich’s Foundation for Housing for the Elderly. The foundation’s capital is to rise by a further 100 million Swiss francs over five years from its current level of 161 million Swiss francs.
This financial leverage is the crucial point for the property sector. The foundation currently offers around 2,000 age-appropriate flats at affordable rents across 34 estates. In the 2026 budget, the city has already stipulated that a capital increase of 100 million Swiss francs, approved in 2024, will be paid out in three instalments between 2025 and 2027. The foundation also anticipates construction projects totalling 137.5 million Swiss francs over the next three years and a deficit of 2.8 million Swiss francs for 2026.
Vote to signal future housing policy
The vote will take place on 29 November 2026. Voters in the city of Zurich will decide separately on the initiative and the counter-proposal. If both are approved, the tie-breaker question will apply. For property owners, developers and the public sector, this is therefore about more than just an issue for the elderly. The key issue is whether Zurich will manage the expansion of housing for the elderly primarily through occupancy targets for existing stock or through additional funding for the further acquisition and construction of flats.
