High-resolution insights into mobility, housing and ageing in Swiss cities
The Urban Data Hub (UDH) will provide data on population-level urban trends at fine geographic resolutions, enabling linkage across sectors and supporting the study of complex urban dynamics. The initial focus is on mobility, housing, and aging. The UDH is an interdisciplinary initiative at UZH led by the Digital Society Initiative (DSI) and Esra Suel, head of the GIUZ Urban Analytics unit.
Wicked problems in society – such as climate change, housing affordability, and health inequalities – are inherently complex. They involve multiple interdependent factors and conflicting interests, requiring interdisciplinary approaches and linked datasets to address effectively. Switzerland’s open data initiatives already offer rich, high-resolution data on the built environment. However, data on individuals – often collected through surveys or administrative sources – are typically inaccessible at fine geographic levels due to privacy constraints. As a result, population-level trends are usually available only at coarser geographic levels such as municipalities or regions, limiting insights into geographic and socioeconomic differences within cities.
Urban Data Hub | Digital Society Initiative UZH
The Urban Data Hub (UDH) is partially funded by the Digital Society Initiative (DSI) and the Urban Analytics Unit (UNA) within the Department of Geography. The project brings together multiple disciplines and departments across the University of Zurich (UZH), including the Department of Business Administration, the Department of Geography, and the UZH Healthy Longevity Center (HLC).