Swiss Universities get Top Ranks; Basel Vacancy Rates the Lowest of all Swiss Cities; Swiss Happinness Survery Results; Basel Police Take Action Against Political Poster Vandals; Unwanted Pets needlessly euthanized; New Bicycle Regulations Tested

The results of the Quacquarelli Symonds survey of the top global universities for 2014 were released last week. Switzerland's two federal institutes of technology, the ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne were given overall rankings of 12th and 17th, respectively.  The two swiss schools are renowned for their programs in engineering and scientific studies.  Within Euope, ETH Zurich has the distinction of also being ranked the number one university.  The prestigious list which ranks the world's schools by academic output and reputation, puts the swiss schools in the company of Massachussets Institute of Technology (ranked #1 globally), followed by Cambridge and Imperial college London tied for second.  The rankings are released annually and rate 800 of the world's top universities.

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Despite a nation-wide increase of 14% year-over-year in the quantity of vacant housing stock, Basel maintains the distinction of having the lowest overall vacancy rate in Switzerland.  Government figures released last week show that 46,000 homes are vacant and available for rent or sale.  Vacancy rates however are uneven throughout the country, where cities appear to have the lowest rates and rural areas the highest.  Basel in particular has a vacancy rate of 0.23% compared to an overall rate of one and a half percent.  Michael Töngi of the Swiss tenants association lamented that urban vacancy rates are too low for a healthy housing market.  Demand is particularly high for affordable housing, he continued, despite the most expensive apartments now being left empty as the asking rents are too high.

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Happy with where you live? A survey underway by the group Next Suisse is uncovering some interesting correlations between where we live and how happy we are. With over 8000 respondents taking part, the survey found that Bern was the happiest place in Switzerland to reside, closely followed by the Winterthur area around Zurich. Zurich city dwellers on the other hand weren’t nearly so lucky, with traffic and limited childcare combining to make it Switzerland’s least content locality. One of the survey’s biggest surprises was sun drenched Ticino which sat toward the bottom of the list, while we Baslers can be content that German speaking Switzerland is one of the country’s happiest places.

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As we reported last week, significant quantities of Pro-Canton-Fusion posters were being defaced, destroyed or simply removed by anti-canton-fusion activists.  The posters were part of the political campaign leading up to the contentious referendum vote on the 28th of this month.  Police have apparently taken notice.  On a recent patrol three men aged 22-26 were apprehended when they were caught walking along a roadside where an inspection revealed destroyed and defaced posters.  They stand to be charged with vandalism crimes once the extent of their systematic destruction of posters is investigated. 

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For a nation who takes devotion to pets seriously, the news this week that around 100,000 unwanted cats and kittens are euthenased annually will come as a surprise to the Swiss. The estimation comes from Swiss Animal Protection, a group dedicated to the welfare of all animals. SAP President Esther Geiser warns that the problem is especially acute in rural areas, where cats often have the freedom to roam and breed. The solution is a simple one though, and Swiss Animal Protection urges pet owners to have male cats neutered wherever possible. Many areas even offer a free neutering service for farm owners.

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As a result of a successful pilot test last year, Both the Swiss Federal Government and Basel are intent on expanding Right Turn on Red rules for bicycle riders.  The pilot program was initially tested at four heavily trafficked, and specially marked intersections where bicyclists and pedestrians are frequently observed.  As expected, there was a reduction in traffic violations for bicyclists resulting from the reduction in rules, but interestingly there was also a concurrent reduction in accidents.  Apparently, bicyclists are MORE careful when crossing pedestrian traffic.  Basel was initially chosen for the pilot and the general roll-out for the change in rules because of its bicycle friendly attitudes and infrastructure.