Social developments in Swiss cities

Social geography looks for structures and defines indicators for possible convergences of views. Over the two last decades, Swiss cities grew diluted in space and have become metropolises-regions (Walter 1995). This ‘metropolisation’ of Switzerland is more than the result of the development of large centres (Cunha & Both 2004: 7). It has to do with the new form and the different scale of urban spaces, which entails a social division and a segmentation of space: the suburban ring absorbs the unqualified households, workers and employees; the low-income households must deal with living in these centres, which they “dualise” instead of “gentrifying” (Abb. 72). [read]