A number of studies have shown that the largest number of foreigners are living in big Swiss cities and areas surrounding urban centres, rather than in the countryside. Why is that?
The latest such research, carried out by Wuest Partner consultancy group as part of their analysis of the impact that foreign nationals have on Switzerland’s housing market, shows that “immigrant households mostly want to settle in urban areas.”
“Only about a third of them consider moving to the countryside, compared to 40 percent of Swiss people,” the study found.
Foreign nationals prefer cities even though, according to the same analysis, their living conditions there don’t equal those of the Swiss nationals.
Immigrants typically occupy smaller dwellings in cities: while Swiss households have 1.9 rooms per person, this number is 1.4 for foreign households.
This gap is also reflected in the living space per person, which is significantly lower for foreigners than for Swiss.
Why, then, do foreigners flock to cities, even though rents are higher there and housing is in short supply?
This question is addressed, at least partly, by official data showing that nearly 40 percent of immigrants come to Switzerland to work (other reasons include family reunification, marrying a Swiss national, and study).
Therefore, foreigners prioritise proximity to the workplace — which is usually located in urban centres rather than rural areas — the length of the commute to work by car or public transport, as well as the presence of schools in the vicinity.
Paradoxically, this marked preference for urban living has created housing shortages, since the demand for rental accommodations exceeds the supply in many cities.
READ ALSO: Just how much are foreigners to blame for Switzerland’s housing shortage?
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But foreigners prefer cities for other reasons as well
Other research, which found “a strong foreign presence” in and around large cities that are close to economic centres and job opportunities, indicated that this phenomenon has a strong cultural component as well.
Specifically, this means that immigrants want to live among, or in close proximity to, other foreigners — preferably of the same nationality.
“One can wonder about the existence of network effects, which would push the new members to establish themselves in the immediate entourage of the diaspora”, the study’s authors noted.
Which of Switzerland’s urban areas are most appealing to foreigners?
The same study indicates that a heavy concentration of foreign nationals can be found in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Zug, as well as the area surrounding Lausanne, because a number of big international companies where many expats work are headquartered there.
READ ALSO: Where are Switzerland’s biggest international companies?
