Introduction to Zurich – 13 years later by Richard Wolff
This is an INURA look at Zurich’s urban development, focusing on the 13 years since the last INURA conference took place in Zurich in 2010.
It’s not new, banking and (re-)insurance are still the cornerstones of Zurich’s local economy. What’s new though: Zurich has become a metaversum hub. Disney, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook etc. all profit from the tech-friendly environment. Google alone employs 5000 tech and marketing nerds in Zurich.
The costs for housing are sky-rocketing in Zurich. The financialisation of the housing sector is rampant. Much of the still remaining affordable housing is currently being demolished, often to make place for new-built luxury apartments. Long-time residents are pushed out of town, across the city border to the fringes of the metropolitan area. Even though the city has been governed by a red-green government, for almost 30 years, gentrification hast not been identified as a major threat to the living conditions of large sections of the population.
The country’s relation with Europe has, for decades, been a very controversial issue. Switzerland is still not a member of the EU but very closely linked to it by countless bilateral treaties. Negotiations for updating this relation with the EU, often seen as unilateral cherry-picking of the Swiss, have come to a full stop. Pressure is rising and retaliatory measures are already being applied. Thus, Switzerland has been excluded from EU’s Science and Research Program “Horizon”. Despite all these troubles the economy shows no signs of weakness, the value of the Swiss Franc keeps rising, and unemployment hovers around a very modest 3%.
INURA - 2023 - Zurich 