Intro -- Promotion Committee -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Competing Interests -- Ethics Approval -- Contents -- About the Author -- Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Push Towards Urban Densification in Cities Worldwide -- 1.2 Rise of the Compact City Model in International Policymaking -- 1.3 Densification Evokes Social Exclusion and Gentrification in Housing -- 1.4 Research Gap: Politicizing and Identifying Densification as a Governance Challenge -- 1.5 Research Objectives and Questions -- References -- 2 Governing by New Institutionalist Political Ecology -- 2.1 Part I: Theoretical Approach-Actors-Centered New Institutionalist Political Ecology -- 2.1.1 From Classic to New Institutionalism: Historical Background of Institutional Thought -- 2.1.2 From Hardin to Ostrom: Towards Political and Actor-Centered Neoinstitutionalism -- 2.1.3 The Question of Power: Bringing a Political Ecology Perspective to Neoinstitutionalist Research -- 2.2 Part II: Analytical Framework-The Institutional Resource Regime (IRR) and Its Focus on Property Rights -- 2.2.1 The Institutional Regime: Two Sources of Formal Rules Regulating Resources Use -- 2.2.2 Public Policies -- 2.2.2.1 Land Policy Instruments Steering Spatial Development -- 2.2.3 Property Rights-A Chronological Review -- 2.2.3.1 Property Rights in the Rise of Liberal Philosophy-Protection Against State Powers -- 2.2.3.2 Reformist Positions-Towards a Perspective of Possession -- 2.2.4 Conflict Relationship Between Public Policy and Property Rights -- 2.2.5 Actors' Use Strategies -- References -- 3 The IRR Applied to Housing: Governing Densification for Socially Sustainable Housing Development -- 3.1 Housing Study Focus: Governing Densification for Socially Sustainable Housing Development.

3.2 Governance of Densification for Sustainable Urban Housing Development -- 3.3 Housing Stock: Evaluating the Condition of a Resource -- 3.4 Housing Sustainability: With a Focus on Its Social Dimension (Dependent Variable) -- 3.4.1 Social Sustainability as an Analytical Framework of Reference -- 3.4.2 Social Sustainability in Housing -- 3.4.3 Social Sustainability in Housing as Emic Approach -- 3.5 Institutional Regime Regulating the Housing Stock (Independent Variable) -- 3.5.1 Housing Public Policies -- 3.5.2 Housing Policy Instruments -- 3.6 Actors' Housing Use Strategies (Intermediary Variable) -- 3.6.1 Active Municipal Land Policy for Sustainable Housing -- 3.6.2 The Power of Housing Property Owners as Titleholders -- 3.6.3 Tenants' Housing Resistance and Decommodification Strategies -- 3.7 Hypotheses: Governance Mechanisms Leading to Socially Sustainable Housing Outcomes in Densifying Cities -- References -- 4 Selecting Switzerland -- 4.1 Study Design and Methodology: Densification and Urban Housing Development in Switzerland -- 4.2 Study Context: Challenges of Housing, Urban Land Scarcity, and Social Exclusion in Switzerland -- 4.3 Case Selection: Housing Under Densification Pressure in Four Swiss Cities -- 4.3.1 The Case of Zurich City -- 4.3.1.1 Zurich Brunau -- 4.3.2 The Case of Basel-City -- 4.3.2.1 Basel Schoren -- 4.3.3 The Case of Köniz City -- 4.3.3.1 Köniz Nessleren -- 4.3.4 The Case of Kloten City -- 4.3.4.1 Kloten Southern District -- 4.4 Data Collection Methods -- 4.4.1 Document and Statistical Data Analysis -- 4.4.2 Participant Observation -- 4.4.3 Household Surveys -- 4.4.4 Semi-Structured and Expert Interviews -- 4.5 Data Analysis Methods -- 4.6 Positionality, Reflexivity, and Validity of the Data -- References -- 5 Investigating Switzerland -- 5.1 Investigating Switzerland: Learning from the Swiss Scarce Land Use Situation.

5.2 Article 1: The Business of Densification-Distribution of Power, Wealth, and Inequality in Swiss Policymaking -- 5.2.1 Shift Towards Densification in Swiss Land Use Planning -- 5.2.2 Densification at the Interplay Between Public Policy and Property Rights -- 5.2.3 Housing from a Social Sustainability Perspective -- 5.2.4 Case Study of Densification Policies in Switzerland -- 5.2.5 Densification Policy Implementation and Social Sustainability in The Swiss Housing Sector -- 5.2.6 Towards a Business of Densification -- 5.3 Article 2: Planning for Social Sustainability: Mechanisms of Social Exclusion in Densification Through Large-Scale Redevelopment Projects in Swiss Cities -- 5.3.1 Implications of Densification on Social Sustainability in Housing -- 5.3.2 Planning for Social Sustainability in a Dense City -- 5.3.3 Comparative Case Study Analysis in Zurich Brunau and Basel Schorenweg -- 5.3.4 The Tensions Between Densification and Social Exclusion in Swiss Urban Policymaking -- 5.3.5 Explaining the Mechanisms at Play Leading to Residents' Social Exclusion in Zurich Brunaupark and Basel Schorenweg -- 5.3.6 The Eco-Business of Densification and the Neglection of Its Social Dimension -- 5.4 Article 3: Strategic Use of Land Policy Instruments for Affordable Housing-Coping with Social Challenges Under Scarce Land Conditions in Swiss Cities -- 5.4.1 The Role of Municipal Planning Authorities in Affordable Housing Provision -- 5.4.2 Affordable Housing Provision at the Interface Between Public Policy Intervention and Property Rights -- 5.4.3 Comparative Case Study Analysis of Four Swiss Cities -- 5.4.4 Strategic Use of Land Policy Instruments for Affordable Housing -- 5.4.5 Four Legal Intervention Ways to Generate Affordable Housing Outcomes -- 5.4.6 Towards an Active Municipal Land Policy with Property Rights.

5.5 Article 4: The Commodification of Temporary Housing in Zurich -- 5.5.1 Temporary Housing in Densifying Cities -- 5.5.2 Development Stages of Temporary Housing -- 5.5.3 Temporary Housing in the City of Zurich -- 5.5.4 The Commodification of Temporary Housing in Zurich -- 5.5.5 Discussion: All in Favor of Commodified Temporary Housing? -- 5.5.6 Housing Is a Matter of Tenancy Law, Not Loaning Law! -- References -- 6 Discussion of Results -- 6.1 Discussion of Key Results -- 6.2 Intermediate Summary -- References -- 7 Final Conclusion: Governance Mechanisms for Socially Sustainable Urban Densification -- 7.1 Policy Recommendations: Towards Active Municipal Land Policy for Socially Inclusive Urban Housing in Densifying Cities -- 7.2 Theoretical and Methodological Limitations -- 7.3 Implications for Future Research: Densification, The IRR, and Beyond -- References -- Appendix -- Index.