With the revision of the Swiss Spatial Planning Act in 2012 and its implementation 2014, inward settlement development became the main objective of urban design and planning in Switzerland. As Zürich has to cope with a 25% increase in population by 2040, the revision of the city’s building and zoning laws requires a revision of urban densification strategies and the instruments for controlling density and land use. Furthermore, the turn towards inward settlement development opens up a discussion on the social vision of urban design and the ecological and socio-economic consequences of spatial interventions on future quality of life and the inclusiveness of cities.@en