The Zurich Metropolitan Area Is Growing Closer Politically

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 undergone a reshuffle in the Metropolitan Council following the most recent elections.

With the election of Dieter Egli as head of the Zurich Metropolitan Conference, the organization’s political focus is once again shifting more strongly toward the cantonal level. Egli succeeds Marc Mächler, while Claudio Bernold takes over as vice president. At the same time, the Metropolitan Council has been renewed following several local elections.

For regional and spatial development, this is more than just a personnel change. The Zurich Metropolitan Conference coordinates cooperation among eight cantons and a large number of cities and municipalities within the functional metropolitan area of Zurich. Depending on the official source, the number of municipalities ranges from around 120 to over 230, a figure that is also linked to new forms of membership at the regional level. What is clear is that the body coordinates issues such as living environments, transportation, the economy, and social development across political boundaries.

New Leaders in the Key Body
With Egli as president and Bernold as vice president, two leaders have been elected who are familiar with both regional competition and municipal implementation. The Metropolitan Council now also includes the mayors of Zurich and Winterthur, Raphael Golta and Stefan Fritschi. They are joined by Monika Keller, president of the Association of Zurich Municipal Mayors and mayor of Greifensee.

This new leadership structure is particularly relevant for the real estate and construction sectors because many issues affecting the metropolitan area can no longer be resolved within a single municipality. Urban development, accessibility, land use management, and coordinated procedures increasingly depend on whether cantons, cities, and regions align their interests early on.

There are open calls for a faster pace
This pressure was also evident in the content discussed at the association’s general meeting. ETH lecturer Christian Marxt argued that innovation should be measured more strongly by its impact. He called for less regulatory burden, faster approvals, and less risk aversion. For planners, developers, and property owners, this is a remarkably direct message, because it is precisely these factors that often determine the duration, costs, and scalability of projects in the Greater Zurich Area.

The organization has gained additional momentum through its recent bylaw amendments. Regional authorities can now also become full members. This model has already been utilized with Baden Regio and Zürichsee-Linth. In doing so, the Metropolitan Conference is broadening its base precisely in the region where growth pressures, commuter flows, and land-use demands are becoming increasingly intertwined.