People in Switzerland want less traffic in their cities

Swiss people want their cities to become less congested, greener and more affordable over the next 30 years. This is the finding of a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute Sotomo on behalf of the express and parcel service provider DPD Switzerland, based in Buchs in the canton of Zurich, in June this year. The survey Zukunftsbild nachhaltige Stadt focuses on what sustainable cities of the future could look like. 

According to the survey, six out of ten people would like to see more car-free zones in urban centers, and almost as many (58 per cent) would like more trees in built-up areas as well as additional segregated bike lanes. In return, they would be happy with fewer parking spaces and car lanes. Of those surveyed, 84 per cent are in favor of better public transportation. For connections between cities, 88 per cent would like the Europe-wide express and night train network to be expanded. At the same time, 53 per cent want motorways with greater capacity.

There is a clear discrepancy between younger and older people on the subject of climate neutrality: while 22 to 24 per cent of all age groups between 31 and over 60 consider the net zero target by 2050 to be realistic, only 12 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds believe this to be the case. All the same, 87 per cent of them consider this goal desirable. For all other age groups, the figure is between 68 and 78 per cent.

A large majority is in favor of promoting affordable housing for the elderly (91 per cent), including supporters of the FDP (88 per cent) and the SVP (85 per cent). Public housing is desirable for 70 per cent of the population. Sixty-five per cent are in favor of taller buildings, and 52 per cent of limiting the number of objections to building projects. ce/mm