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Lessons from medium-sized towns

— The book “La Suisse de A(rbon) à Z(oug), Portrait en 12 villes” (Switzerland from A(rbon) to Z(oug), Portrait in 12 cities) takes the opposite approach to studies focusing on metropolises. Social science researchers tell the story of the city they know best, through the eyes of specialists and ordinary residents. Maxime Felder, a research associate at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology, who co-edited the book with Renate Albrecher, Vincent Kaufmann and Yves Pedrazzini, talks about it on the “Tribu” program. 

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What will my city look like in 50 years?

— In RTS's “C'est la classe!” program, it's the children who take on the role of moderator. Luca Pattaroni, professor at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology, answers questions posed by young schoolchildren from Le Locle.

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No parking spaces, fewer cars

— Since 2015, Swiss cities have lost 11,000 parking spaces. For Vincent Kaufmann, Director of the Laboratory of Urban Sociology, this measure is a “powerful lever for modal choice”.

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Real estate prices and home office reshape mobility

— Rising property prices and telecommuting are encouraging commuters to move further away from their place of work. Emmanuel Ravalet, lecturer at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology, believes that transport planning should be strengthened, favoring rail over car, in order to organize territorial development in a coherent way. 

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Rejection of the motorway extension

— On Sunday, the Swiss people rejected the extension of the motorway network. Vincent Kaufmann, professor at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology, analyses the result in terms of ‘a multitude of factors’.

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Voices for and against the new lanes

— For Vincent Kaufmann, Director of the Laboratory of Urban Sociology at EPFL, the increase in road infrastructure encourages car use. Laetitia Morandi, an EPFL mobility engineer and urban planner, is also sceptical: ‘What's the point of widening motorways to accommodate more vehicles if we can't park those same vehicles at their destination?‘ However, a study for the TCS conducted by Micaël Tille, a lecturer at EPFL, tempers the pessimistic projections by indicating that the traffic effect induced by new lanes does not hold true in Switzerland. 

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The consequences of the boom in online shopping

— Our online shopping has exploded in the space of a decade. Why is online shopping so popular? What are the consequences for the way we live, and for our cities? Luca Pattaroni, full professor at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology, discusses this in ‘Tribu’. 

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24,000 cycling accidents reported in Switzerland every year

— It's not always easy to reconcile different modes of transport, and sometimes you have to put yourself in someone else's shoes. It's important to work on behaviour and get away from the virile mindset, which consists of driving like a maniac as soon as you get behind the wheel,’ explains Vincent Kaufmann, Professor of Urban Sociology and Mobility Analysis at EPFL.

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Highways: a lane for nothing

— In a tribune, a number of mobility experts, professors and academics from EPFL explain why widening the motorways, which will be put to the vote on 24 November, will not solve the problem of traffic jams.

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New bridge in Fribourg

— The Poya Bridge, inaugurated in 2014, has changed the image of Fribourg. According to Vincent Kaufmann, professor at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology, ‘Fribourg can be justly proud of this achievement. The Poya Bridge adds a contemporary touch to the image of the city and its conurbation.’

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