Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE

Since its founding in 2000, the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) has been the federal authority specialising in issues relating to spatial development, mobility policy and sustainable development. It works with cantons and communes and leads international cooperation on spatial matters.

The ARE has the following mandates:

  • Developing principles and strategies for spatial and transport development, and for sustainable development
  • Facilitating coordination within the federal government on projects with spatial and transport impact
  • Contributing to the design of cities and their agglomerations and working on equalisation measures in rural and mountain areas
  • Managing transnational cooperation in spatial and transport planning
  • Working with the cantons to supervise spatial planning
  • Taking on responsibility for ensuring that the Confederation aligns its activities with sustainability principles

The official strategy is geared towards 2030 and pursues the following objectives:

  • Mobility is coordinated.
  • Spatial planning and transport are harmonised.
  • Polycentric settlement development is promoted consistently and land consumption is stabilised.
  • Spatial development instruments and legislation have been further developed in line with requirements.
  • Switzerland is implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Major legislation and policy instruments provide the basis for the ARE's work:

  • the Spatial Planning Act and the Second Homes Act,
  • federal sectoral plans and concept papers,
  • the Swiss Spatial Concept,
  • the review of the cantonal structure plans,
  • the federal government's agglomeration policy and policy for rural areas and mountain regions,
  • the Urban Transportation Programme,
  • model projects,
  • the Sustainable Development Strategy,
  • the national passenger transport model,
  • the transport outlook.