Land Policy in Switzerland: A Renewed Interest in Public Landownership to Support Land-Use Planning

Although land policy has a long history in Switzerland, the Swiss planning system does not provide a uniform understanding of what land policy entails. We propose that land policy should be viewed as a strategy to address the limitations of spatial planning. This chapter illustrates the strategic application of land policy and its potential to achieve policy goals through a case study of a large greenfield development in the city of Bern. Through leveraging public landownership and strategically combining planning instruments such as the municipal zoning plan and long-term ground leases, the city of Bern has successfully facilitated large-scale housing development. The municipality’s active land policy strategy was crucial in achieving this outcome, demonstrating effective use of the planning instruments available. Moreover, this case illustrates the role of key actors in land policy in Switzerland. It demonstrates a renewed interest among Swiss cities in using public landownership to tackle significant special challenges.