2023
Building a shared vocabulary for understanding and navigating Swiss spatial planning.
With D. Kaufmann
Building a shared vocabulary for understanding and navigating Swiss spatial planning.
With D. Kaufmann
The Glossary of Spatial Planning Terms was developed as an institute-wide initiative at ETH Zürich to support the understanding and translation of Swiss spatial planning terminology. In a planning system shaped by federalism, multi-level governance, and a complex landscape of instruments, terminology often varies across regions, institutions, and languages. The project responds to this challenge by promoting greater consistency and coherence in the use of English terminology for Swiss spatial planning.
Alongside terminology, the glossary provides an overview of planning instruments under public law, documenting their purpose, scale, legal basis, level of bindingness, and relationship to one another. Conceived primarily as an educational resource for ETH Zürich, it aims to promote a shared reference framework for understanding Swiss spatial planning and to support coherent communication across education, applied research, and professional practice.
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Alongside terminology, the glossary provides an overview of planning instruments under public law, documenting their purpose, scale, legal basis, level of bindingness, and relationship to one another. Conceived primarily as an educational resource for ETH Zürich, it aims to promote a shared reference framework for understanding Swiss spatial planning and to support coherent communication across education, applied research, and professional practice.
