The Business of Densification: Governing Land for Social Sustainability in Housing

Promotion Committee
Preface and Acknowledgments
Competing Interests
Ethics Approval
Contents
About the Author
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
	1.1 Push Towards Urban Densification in Cities Worldwide
	1.2 Rise of the Compact City Model in International Policymaking
	1.3 Densification Evokes Social Exclusion and Gentrification in Housing
	1.4 Research Gap: Politicizing and Identifying Densification as a Governance Challenge
	1.5 Research Objectives and Questions
	References
2 Governing by New Institutionalist Political Ecology
	2.1 Part I: Theoretical Approach—Actors-Centered New Institutionalist Political Ecology
		2.1.1 From Classic to New Institutionalism: Historical Background of Institutional Thought
		2.1.2 From Hardin to Ostrom: Towards Political and Actor-Centered Neoinstitutionalism
		2.1.3 The Question of Power: Bringing a Political Ecology Perspective to Neoinstitutionalist Research
	2.2 Part II: Analytical Framework—The Institutional Resource Regime (IRR) and Its Focus on Property Rights
		2.2.1 The Institutional Regime: Two Sources of Formal Rules Regulating Resources Use
		2.2.2 Public Policies
			2.2.2.1 Land Policy Instruments Steering Spatial Development
		2.2.3 Property Rights—A Chronological Review
			2.2.3.1 Property Rights in the Rise of Liberal Philosophy—Protection Against State Powers
			2.2.3.2 Reformist Positions—Towards a Perspective of Possession
		2.2.4 Conflict Relationship Between Public Policy and Property Rights
		2.2.5 Actors’ Use Strategies
	References
3 The IRR Applied to Housing: Governing Densification for Socially Sustainable Housing Development
	3.1 Housing Study Focus: Governing Densification for Socially Sustainable Housing Development
	3.2 Governance of Densification for Sustainable Urban Housing Development
	3.3 Housing Stock: Evaluating the Condition of a Resource
	3.4 Housing Sustainability: With a Focus on Its Social Dimension (Dependent Variable)
		3.4.1 Social Sustainability as an Analytical Framework of Reference
		3.4.2 Social Sustainability in Housing
		3.4.3 Social Sustainability in Housing as Emic Approach
	3.5 Institutional Regime Regulating the Housing Stock (Independent Variable)
		3.5.1 Housing Public Policies
		3.5.2 Housing Policy Instruments
	3.6 Actors’ Housing Use Strategies (Intermediary Variable)
		3.6.1 Active Municipal Land Policy for Sustainable Housing
		3.6.2 The Power of Housing Property Owners as Titleholders
		3.6.3 Tenants’ Housing Resistance and Decommodification Strategies
	3.7 Hypotheses: Governance Mechanisms Leading to Socially Sustainable Housing Outcomes in Densifying Cities
	References
4 Selecting Switzerland
	4.1 Study Design and Methodology: Densification and Urban Housing Development in Switzerland
	4.2 Study Context: Challenges of Housing, Urban Land Scarcity, and Social Exclusion in Switzerland
	4.3 Case Selection: Housing Under Densification Pressure in Four Swiss Cities
		4.3.1 The Case of Zurich City
			4.3.1.1 Zurich Brunau
		4.3.2 The Case of Basel-City
			4.3.2.1 Basel Schoren
		4.3.3 The Case of Köniz City
			4.3.3.1 Köniz Nessleren
		4.3.4 The Case of Kloten City
			4.3.4.1 Kloten Southern District
	4.4 Data Collection Methods
		4.4.1 Document and Statistical Data Analysis
		4.4.2 Participant Observation
		4.4.3 Household Surveys
		4.4.4 Semi-Structured and Expert Interviews
	4.5 Data Analysis Methods
	4.6 Positionality, Reflexivity, and Validity of the Data
	References
5 Investigating Switzerland
	5.1 Investigating Switzerland: Learning from the Swiss Scarce Land Use Situation
	5.2 Article 1: The Business of Densification—Distribution of Power, Wealth, and Inequality in Swiss Policymaking
		5.2.1 Shift Towards Densification in Swiss Land Use Planning
		5.2.2 Densification at the Interplay Between Public Policy and Property Rights
		5.2.3 Housing from a Social Sustainability Perspective
		5.2.4 Case Study of Densification Policies in Switzerland
		5.2.5 Densification Policy Implementation and Social Sustainability in The Swiss Housing Sector
		5.2.6 Towards a Business of Densification
	5.3 Article 2: Planning for Social Sustainability: Mechanisms of Social Exclusion in Densification Through Large-Scale Redevelopment Projects in Swiss Cities
		5.3.1 Implications of Densification on Social Sustainability in Housing
		5.3.2 Planning for Social Sustainability in a Dense City
		5.3.3 Comparative Case Study Analysis in Zurich Brunau and Basel Schorenweg
		5.3.4 The Tensions Between Densification and Social Exclusion in Swiss Urban Policymaking
		5.3.5 Explaining the Mechanisms at Play Leading to Residents’ Social Exclusion in Zurich Brunaupark and Basel Schorenweg
		5.3.6 The Eco-Business of Densification and the Neglection of Its Social Dimension
	5.4 Article 3: Strategic Use of Land Policy Instruments for Affordable Housing—Coping with Social Challenges Under Scarce Land Conditions in Swiss Cities
		5.4.1 The Role of Municipal Planning Authorities in Affordable Housing Provision
		5.4.2 Affordable Housing Provision at the Interface Between Public Policy Intervention and Property Rights
		5.4.3 Comparative Case Study Analysis of Four Swiss Cities
		5.4.4 Strategic Use of Land Policy Instruments for Affordable Housing
		5.4.5 Four Legal Intervention Ways to Generate Affordable Housing Outcomes
		5.4.6 Towards an Active Municipal Land Policy with Property Rights
	5.5 Article 4: The Commodification of Temporary Housing in Zurich
		5.5.1 Temporary Housing in Densifying Cities
		5.5.2 Development Stages of Temporary Housing
		5.5.3 Temporary Housing in the City of Zurich
		5.5.4 The Commodification of Temporary Housing in Zurich
		5.5.5 Discussion: All in Favor of Commodified Temporary Housing?
		5.5.6 Housing Is a Matter of Tenancy Law, Not Loaning Law!
	References
6 Discussion of Results
	6.1 Discussion of Key Results
	6.2 Intermediate Summary
	References
7 Final Conclusion: Governance Mechanisms for Socially Sustainable Urban Densification
	7.1 Policy Recommendations: Towards Active Municipal Land Policy for Socially Inclusive Urban Housing in Densifying Cities
	7.2 Theoretical and Methodological Limitations
	7.3 Implications for Future Research: Densification, The IRR, and Beyond
	References
Appendix
Index