News &
Events
NSL Forum & Cycling Research Board: Video and Manifesto now online!
Did you miss the NSL Forum and Cycling Research Board «Digital Twins for Europe’s Future Mobility», on September 4th? The video link is now…
Are Integrated Infrastructure Networks Governable in Contemporary City Regions?
Guest: Prof. Dr. Michael Neuman, Professor of Sustainable Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of Westminster. The very possibility of governance…
‘Baukultur und Recht’
Third Annual Colloquium Stiftung Baukultur | 8 November (ganztägig) | Aula Magna, University of Fribourg.
Common Water – The Future of an Alpine Resource
Referenten: Conradin Clavuot, Daniel Farinotti, Felix Keller, Hans Oerlemans, Raimund Rodewald, Martin Schmid, Sarah Springman, Günther Vogt, Rolf Weingartner
European – Southeast Asian Architectural Dialogue: Ker-Shing Ong (Lekker Architects Singapur) trifft Robin Winogrond (Studio Vulkan Zürich)
28. Februar 2019, 18:30 | Volkshaus Zürich, Stauffacherstr. 60. Die Diskussionspartner der nächsten Ausgabe des FCL Architekturdialogs sind beide im Bereich der Architektur und…
Future Cities Laboratory Global Conference and Exhibition
12 – 13 October | ETH Zurich, Rämistr. 101. It is no longer enough to promote innovative science and design, we need to move…
«Vertical extensions of buildings are becoming a key option for urban redevelopment»
Why are more new housing units being constructed in Geneva each year, while Zurich is seeing a decline? Why are older residential buildings in…
Research
Tree Nurseries – Cultivating the Urban Jungle
Book project: Reports on plant production Based on reports, the background and sphere of influence of tree nurseries will be told and depicted. The relationship between people and environment will…
Back to the Roots of Our Profession. The Garden Designers Theodor Froebel (1820–1893) and Otto Froebel (1844–1906) as Pioneers of Swiss Landscape Architecture
Theodor (1810–1893) and Otto (1844–1906) Froebel are two of the most important personalities of Swiss garden design of the 19th century. With their multifaceted œuvre, they made a significant contribution…
Airports and Cities
Airports and Cities is a research platform that brings together projects investigating the complex and multi-faceted reciprocity of urban and airport development to better understand the contemporary city and its mechanisms…
Agadir. The Commons and the Modern Afropolis
After Agadir (Morocco) was destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 1960, the city developed a modern and innovative plan for its reconstruction that relied on novel urban typologies and morphologies.…
Casablanca
Similar to Hong Kong, because of its strategic situation on the coast of the Atlantic, Casablanca is one of the oldest Global Cities. From the beginning of the last century,…
Continuous Target Based Planning
An important aspect of the creation of models for traffic planning is the question of the need for movement in the model. If one uses a microscopic model in which…
DenSuisse
The Braillard Foundation, in cooperation with the Federal Institutes of Technology of Lausanne and Zurich and the Architectural Academy of Mendrisio, is pursuing a prospective research project on the densification…
68 | December 2025: People and Politics
In this NSL Newsletter, we explore how People and Politics intersect in shaping cities and landscapes. From the cultural journey of the Araucaria araucana to data-driven strategies for sustainable urban mobility, the articles highlight how choices and power dynamics influence our environments. We address the political dimensions of climate adaptation in housing, revisit the still-urgent question of what a non-sexist city could look like, and examine the housing struggles of displaced people in Bogotá and Beirut. The issue also presents NEWROPE’s recent efforts to document and share pedagogical experiments that expand architectural practice. Together, these contributions reveal how deeply political our built environments are—and how people continue to shape and challenge them.
We hope you enjoy reading this informative newsletter.
Publications
High-fidelity Immersive Virtual Reality Environments for Gait Rehabilitation Exergames
Virtual reality (VR) used for healthcare, particularly through exergames, is promising for improving therapeutic outcomes. However, effectively engaging patients and providing realistic environments for everyday situations remain major challenges.
Nature in Change: Exploring the Ecological Conditions of a Flooded Gravel Pit in the Upper Rhine Plain
This essay explores the ecological conditions of a flooded gravel pit in the Upper Rhine Plain in Germany through a reading of the relationship between selected multispecies inhabitants and the…
Cultivating More-than-human Care: Exploring Bird Watching as a Landscaping Practice on the Example of Sand Martins and Flooded Gravel Pits
The environmental crisis has created a demand for practices that build awareness about the interconnections of diverse forms of life, allowing humans to understand complex earthly relationships and reconnect with…
Towards sustainable urban densification: governmental timidity vs. 4D-Geodesigning urban transformation in Baden, Switzerland
Urban densification remains a contentious issue, often hindered by preservationist attitudes and risk-averse governance. This study contrasts two planning approaches in Baden, Switzerland: the Oberstadt + project, which applied a data-driven, evidence-based…
Soils in motion: The Metabolism of New York City’s Urban Grounds
This article examines the socioecological metabolism of soils in New York City, tracing their production, circulation, and transformation within the dynamics of extended urbanisation. It explores how soil, as both…
«Das Raumkonzept Schweiz ist ein Referenzrahmen, der über seinen Inhalt wirkt»
Interview im Juni 2024 mit Maria Lezzi, Direktorin des Bundesamts für Raumentwicklung ARE, und Silvia Jost, Sektionschefin Mobilität und Internationales, Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung ARE. Seiten: 117-122 | Online publiziert am:…
Driving towards stability and efficiency: A variable time gap strategy for Adaptive Cruise Control
Automated vehicle technologies offer a promising avenue for enhancing traffic efficiency, safety, and energy consumption. Among these, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems stand out as a prevalent form of automation…
Launch of the Atlas of Regenerative Materials
27th June 2025 | web platform. This new web platform is a repository for information about the whole value chain in construction with bio- and geosourced materials.
Further Education
CAS ETH in Regenerative Materials – Essentials 2025
Sustainable Construction | Application Window: 1 – 30 November 2024.
Design++ XR in AEC Summer School 2025
Application deadline: 1 July | Summer School: 1-5 September 2025 | at ETH Zurich. This hands-on programme brings together students, researchers, and professionals to explore how extended reality is reshaping…
Hybrid Summer School Synergic Urban Systems
6 – 27 July 2024 | Deadline extended to 15 April.
Master of Advanced Studies ETH in Regenerative Systems
Application: 1. June – 30. June 2025 | Duration: September 2025 – January 2026. CAS#1 Worldviews: From Sustainability to Regeneration
Information Event Master of Science in Landscape Architecture at ETH Zurich
2 March, 18.30 – 19:30 | Zoom. The Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich offers a two-year Master’s degree programme in Landscape Architecture with a focus on the design and…
Master of Advanced Studies ETH Urban Design 2019/20
Application window: 1 January to 30 April 2019. The Master of Advanced Studies in Urban Design ETH is a research and design laboratory for testing new models for the pro-active development of…
EPFL/ETH Zurich Summer School «Relational Space / Relational Urbanism»
Applications until 10 May (EXTENDED DEADLINE). 11th – 15th June 2018 | EPFL Campus.