Dieter Egli is taking over as chair of the Zurich Metropolitan Conference, with Claudio Bernold joining him. The leadership change comes at a time when the organization—which coordinates spatial planning, transportation, and location issues across cantonal and municipal boundaries—has also

St. Gallen is putting its local planning review out for public consultation from 17 August to 16 October 2026 and opening up digital participation. For property owners, developers and neighbourhoods, this involves far more than just online comments. The negotiations will cover density, building

Buchs is raising the bar for new municipal construction and renovations. The new Building Standard 2025 is mandatory for the city’s own properties and also applies to site developments, special-use plans, land sales, and building rights transfers by the

A controversial redevelopment plan is currently under consideration in the centre of Herisau. The proposal for Casinopark would see the construction of flats, a public underground car park with 56 spaces, a private car park with 52 spaces and a new park. However, it is only following a public

In Frauenfeld, the dispute over the new municipal development plan is entering a critical phase. Business associations and a town centre association are rallying against the provisions on traffic, parking and procedures. They fear more restrictions, reduced accessibility and greater interference

Six sections of road in Frauenfeld town centre are to be put out for public consultation. The framework grant of 11.3 million Swiss francs, approved in 2022, remains in place, but the redevelopment will be carried out in phases until at least 2030 and will have a significant impact on transport,

At Bischofszell railway station, the former hemp factory site is to be redeveloped with two new buildings and an extension to an existing building. The plans include 38 rental flats and around 740 square metres of commercial space. The project will be presented at the town hall on 24 August

According to a recent analysis by Wüest Partner, Appenzell Innerrhoden tops the list of Swiss cantons with the highest risk of overvaluation for detached houses. Prices there are around 16 per cent above their fundamental value, but the small size of the market means this warning is susceptible to

St. Gallen intends to offer financial incentives to owners of properties outside building zones to encourage them to demolish empty or unsightly buildings. To this end, the government is submitting an amendment to the Planning and Building Act for consultation. As things stand, the first payments

Ten objections are holding up the preventive resettlement project in Brienz/Brinzauls. However, the municipality of Albula/Alvra only gave its clear approval for the loan of 82.56 million Swiss francs on 10 July 2026. For property owners, this means that not only the financing but also the

Evolène and Goms top the list of the most affordable Alpine destinations analysed for 2026. According to UBS, prices for holiday homes there stand at 6,600 and 6,700 Swiss francs per square metre. At the same time, prices for second homes in the Alps continued to rise across Switzerland in 2025,

In San Bernardino, objections are delaying the next phase of the Acuforta site development process. The municipality of Mesocco must now review more than five but fewer than ten submissions before the building permit process for the hotel, spa, and apartments can

On the shores of Lake Arbon, the development of the former Metropol site continues to face delays. The design plan for the two 43-meter-tall Riva Towers will still not be legally binding by July 2026, as the proceedings regarding the objection filed by Thurgau Heritage Protection have now been

Climate change, resource scarcity, and the energy crisis are taking a toll on society. An international research team sees robotics as an untapped lever for change. In the journal *Nature Machine Intelligence*, the scientists call for a radical shift in thinking. Their proposal, called

In St. Gallen’s Lerchenfeld district, the city is establishing the framework for an increase in gross floor area from 65,000 to approximately 185,000 square meters. In certain areas, buildings up to 85 meters tall would be possible, supported by job creation, new green spaces, and the momentum

In Rapperswil-Jona, the redevelopment of the vacant centre on Untere Bahnhofstrasse is set to deliver not only 77 flats and new retail space. The project will also alter the street layout, make a tricky bend safer and promote low-car living in its letting

Following the withdrawal of an appeal, St. Moritz can now continue with the construction of the Du Lac residential block, comprising 31 flats for local residents. The case illustrates just how much administrative procedures in tourist destinations under pressure can delay even municipal housing

In the west of St. Gallen, Lerchenfeld is set to become denser, taller and more diverse over the next two decades. The new development strategy links additional residential and commercial space to the future Bruggen-Haggen dual railway station and to new green spaces and

It is not Zurich, but Vaz/Obervaz that has the most acute housing shortage in the latest municipal ranking. For the Graubünden housing market, this is more than just a curiosity: a vacancy rate of 0 per cent is coupled with tourist demand, construction activity and a limited housing

Seven ORK cantons, Zurich and Liechtenstein intend to jointly develop, procure and standardise AI for use in public administration. This is increasing the pressure to ensure that digital processes for planning applications, property management and other procedures are compatible across

Swiss luxury real estate prices rose again by more than 3 percent in 2025. However, while mountain communities continued to see growth of 6 percent, many primary residence markets along Lake Geneva and Lake Zurich are reporting that prices have

An entrepreneur from Ticino is transforming a forgotten mountain village in Graubünden into a year-round destination. What sounds like a crazy idea is taking shape. The numbers are impressive, the signs are promising, and the heart of the project has been bubbling up from the mountain for

On June 14, 2026, Swiss Post broke ground in Frauenfeld on a new regional parcel center. The 200-million-franc investment is not a response to an immediate problem; rather, it is a strategic move that will shape the company’s course for the coming decades. This will make Thurgau the hub of Swiss

Data centers are the invisible infrastructure of the digital economy. They are booming in Switzerland, but their hunger for electricity, water and building land is growing faster than regulation. Schaffhausen is now one of the first cantons to draw clear boundaries. And it is unlikely to be the

The town of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen is planning the biggest urban planning relaunch ever. On May 29, 2026, around 60 representatives from districts, businesses, the real estate sector, politics and administration gathered in the town hall for the fourth local planning conference. The

Building in the canton of St. Gallen requires strong nerves. The government now wants to streamline the procedures, above all with digital processes and better coordination. However, it can hardly do anything about the sensitive issue of objection and appeal

Where until a few years ago there was a grain silo tower from the 1930s, today an elegant residential tower with a 30-metre-high solar façade rises into the Prättigau sky. Grüsch Mill in the Grisons municipality of Grüsch is Switzerland's first DGNB-certified reconstruction project. No

In September 2025, almost 60 percent of school citizens voted in favor of the new Lärche school center in Arbon. Now a single objector is threatening to torpedo the timetable. The attic storey is 80 centimetres too high. The dispute over centimeters could cost

Anyone driving through Graubünden after Easter will need patience. This year there are 128 roadworks on 1360 kilometers of cantonal road. That's one every ten kilometers. Sounds like a lot, but it's less than in 2025, when 174 roadworks were still slowing down traffic at the same time. However,

The voters of St. Gallen have cleared the way for the Wil West business park. By voting yes to the sale of land to the canton of Thurgau, a key milestone has been reached. This is important for the economic future of the region, but also for more orderly settlement and transport development in the