Demolish and rebuild poses a problem for rents in Switzerland

In Switzerland, renovations eliminate affordable housing, a challenge for modest households.Image: Shutterstock

In Switzerland, the demolition of old buildings to fight against the shortage of housing excludes low -income households, strengthening social inequalities.

The demolition of old buildings in order to rebuild housing causes lease terminations. These renovations mainly affect low -income households, according to a study on the shortage of housing published Tuesday by the Confederation.

To overcome the shortage of housing in Switzerland, one of the options in large cities is to demolish old buildings to replace them. This has social effects: new housing is occupied by high -income households, to the detriment of those with low income.

Small wages hunted

The average household salary which had to leave their housing was 30.5% lower than 39.6% to that of the average of the population, shows the study of the EPFZ, carried out on the mandate of the Federal Housing Office (OFL).

The destroyed buildings are replaced by new housing, reinforced rather by people who have income 14.6% to 38.7% above average. The evictions therefore affect people who will probably know difficulty finding an affordable accommodation, concludes the study.

While demolitions/reconstructions were exceptional in the early 2000s, they represent today, depending on the cities, the main reason for new constructions. (Jah/ATS)

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