Culture-led Urban Regeneration in Zürich West: From an Industrial District to a Creative Hub

Abstract

This article centers on the Zürich West district in Switzerland, analyzing its urban-regeneration strategies and governance logic under the guidance of cultural governance and creative industry policy orientation. Employing a qualitative case-study approach, the research integrates municipal planning archives, transit and educational institutional data, academic research, and policy evaluation reports to construct a three-layer analytical framework of “institution-space-society.” The findings reveal that Zürich West’s transformation unfolded in three phases: (1) industrial heritage revitalization and infrastructure renewal; (2) the formation of cultural and educational anchor points (such as Toni-Areal and Im Viadukt); and (3) governance deepening with sustainability orientation (including Transit-Oriented Development, public space redistribution, and social infrastructure integration). The key mechanisms for success include: multi-stakeholder negotiation and dual-stage formalization shaped by the collaborative planning model (Kooperative Entwicklungsplanung); a transit-oriented-development backbone enhancing accessibility; and a local innovation ecology driven by cultural/educational venues. However, culture-led regeneration is also accompanied by spatial commodification and pressures on social inclusion (rising rents, squeeze on nighttime cultural spaces, and the “moral re-ordering” of the sex-industry landscape). Building on the theoretical foundations laid by Evans, García, Pratt and Peck, this paper proposes three policy recommendations: institutionalize cultural-impact assessment; ensure affordability of creative space via diversified housing policies and tax instruments; and sustain resilience of nighttime and grassroots culture through “public-share quotas” and community-benefit-agreement mechanisms.