Zurich voters to decide on senior housing quota and funding
Friday 13th November 2026 on 09:15 in
Switzerland
Zurich residents are to vote on a proposal to reserve municipal homes for older people and a counterproposal that would also provide 100 million francs for new senior housing, SRF reports.
The initiative, put forward by the city’s SVP, would reserve 20 per cent of all city-owned homes for people over 60. It calls for one in five homes in each municipal housing development to go to older residents, with homes that cannot reasonably be provided in a development compensated for elsewhere.
The initiative’s committee president, SVP city councillor Reto Brüesch, said older residents wanted more opportunities to live alongside other generations and in their neighbourhoods. He cited a survey in which 80 per cent of respondents said they wanted to live in an intergenerational setting and return to neighbourhood centres.
The city parliament supports the goal but rejected a fixed quota and drew up a counterproposal. It would set the share of municipal homes for people over 60 in line with their share of the population. In 2023, they made up 18 per cent of the city’s residents and lived in 19 per cent of municipal homes.
The counterproposal also includes a 100 million franc capital contribution to the Foundation for Senior Housing in the City of Zurich. The foundation currently manages about 2,100 homes in 38 developments and aims to increase that number to 3,000 within 10 years. Around 7,000 people are registered on its rental platform, and an average of 56 people or couples apply for each available home, although some submit multiple applications.
SP city councillor Anjushka Früh said the funding would help the foundation buy land and carry out projects. The FDP opposes both the quota and the funding, arguing that faster permit procedures and access to land are needed to build more homes. Its group leader, Emanuel Tschannen, said quotas would reduce flexibility and would not address the city’s housing shortage.
The number of Zurich residents over 60 is projected to rise from 18 per cent of the population in 2023 to 22 per cent by 2045. The city already lacks housing for older people.