Basel Votes To Reduce Bureaucracy; Construction Snarls Tram Traffic; Swiss Housing Market Remains "Tight"

News For 20 September 2022

Next week, an initiative measure will be considered by voters in Basel Stadt to reduce the number of Cantonal departments from seven to five.  Proponents of the initiative argue that most of the services procured by the departments are outsourced anyway, so the reduction would also mean a reduction in administrative costs - adding up to 10 million francs annually according to their estimates.  Furthermore, they point out that neighboring cantons are larger and more populous and manage to deliver "the same" services with a smaller number of departments.  Opponents of the initiative, which represent a majority opinion - argue that the amount of work carried out by the government will remain the same, independent of the number of cantonal departments.  Voting to decide on the initiative takes place on September 25th.

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If you were left wondering why your tram was delayed or out of service last weekend, you were probably unaware of the construction and planned service interruptions causing delays.  From Thursday to Saturday midnight, the Flaneur Stadtraum Festival turned the city between Barfusserplatz and Marktplatz into a pedestrian zone.  In addition, construction on the Birsig tunnel which is planned to continue starting today until the 25th of September will mean trams are being diverted between Barfusserplatz and Schifflande.  Commuters are advised to plan accordingly and leave extra time to traverse the affected areas.

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The latest federal report on housing market conditions in Switzerland and its cantons paints a picture of continued challenges for those seeking housing.  Overall, at the end of June 2022, less than 62,000 or 1.31% of the total housing stock was available for rent or sale.  There was a decline year-on-year of 9300 homes vacant, marking the largest decline in 20 years.  In Basel Stadt, the vacancy rate is 1.17% which represents roughly the average rate around the country.  Interestingly, these conditions come on the heels of a building boom during the period 2016-2020 when the new home construction rate outpaced population growth by 2%.  New construction has receded since 2020 as a result of rising interest rates and restrictive zoning and planning rules taking effect.