2024
New article in Ecological Indicators - Cartography of the interplay between Nature’s contributions to people and biodiversity in Switzerland
Switzerland’s diversity of landscapes offers an ideal setting to describe the various interactions between Nature’s contributions to people (NCP) and biodiversity. In this recent study, we generated spatially explicit maps of 15 NCP indicators covering all of Switzerland, as well as one biodiversity map based on the distribution of over 1400 endangered species across various taxa.
Shifting Paradigm: Incorporating Landscape Preferences and Ecosystem Services into Siting Scenarios for Renewable Energies
Pioneering a holistic approach in Switzerland, this study redefines renewable energy siting by integrating ecosystem services and public preferences, challenging traditional methodologies that prioritize only technical and economic factors.
Award of the title of “Professor of Practice”
Damian Jerjen (*1973), currently Director of the Swiss association for spatial planning EspaceSuisse and Lecturer at ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities, as Professor of Practice at ETH Zurich.
Mapping open spaces in Swiss mountain regions through consensus-building and machine learning
As mountain areas experience increasing tourism, transportation, energy and agricultural development, the need to manage landscape fragmentation and preserve aesthetic and cultural qualities becomes increasingly relevant.
New publication in the Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning
Manuel Sudau and Adrienne Grêt-Regamey wrote a new article on analyzing argumentation patterns in political discourse for better policy design.
Playing games to unlock urban neighbourhood transformations?
The systemic complexity of growing urban populations and contemporary urban systems lock-in unsustainable urban development pathways, deteriorating the living quality of urban dwellers and surrounding environments.
In Memory of Willy A. Schmid
Willy A. Schmid was Professor of Landscape and Environmental Planning at the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development (IRL), now the Chair of Planning of Landscape and Urban Systems (PLUS) at ETH Zurich, from 1978 to 2008. Here he left his mark and played a pivotal role in shaping generations of spatial and landscape planners in Switzerland and internationally.
New PhD student in the EU-project MOSAIC
Jan Hartman has joined the group to research land use decisions in the Swiss alps under climate change conditions.