Urban development in fast motion: a long-term photographic observation.

A study recently published in book form uses the city of Schlieren as an example to remind us in photographic form how quickly our cities and suburbs have grown in the past. The images in the book “Stadtwerdung im Zeitraffer” show exemplarily how the Swiss Mittelland developed between 2005 and 2020.

The long-term photographic observation of Schlieren 2005 – 2020 shows how the Swiss Mittelland is developing. The book “Stadttwerdung im Zeitraffer” has been published by Scheidegger and Spiess.

The long-term Photographic Observation Schlieren is a much-recognized unique research project that documents urban development in Switzerland. Over a period of fifteen years, a photographic record of building activity and urbanization processes was conducted to demonstrate how these are altering the character of a typical Swiss suburban community. The chosen example was the town of Schlieren, bordering the city of Zurich to the west, whose population grew from 13,000 to 20,000 residents during the observation period of 2005–20. At Sixty-three locations throughout Schlieren, pictures were taken under identical conditions every two years that show the changes in the spatial interplay of buildings, streets, and green spaces. Simultaneously, series of topical detailed photographs were produced that focus on individual objects and tell of the appropriation, design, and aesthetics of habitats, such as store fronts, building entrances, playgrounds, parking entrances, etc.

This two-volume book brings together the results of this spectacular research. The Archive volume features the entire body of the eight images taken at each of the sixty-three sites to visualize the deep changes Schlieren has undergone during these fifteen years. The Essays volume combines the topical image series with essays that offer in-depth examination of the study’s subject, detailed analyses and interpretations, and interviews by expert authors from various disciplines.