Urban Change Over Time: The Photographic Observation of Schlieren 2005–2020 Reveals How Switzerland Is Changing

A photographic record of the urbanization of the Swiss town of Schlieren, a suburb of Zurich.

The long-term Photographic Observation Schlieren is a unique research project that documents urban development in Switzerland. Over a period of fifteen years, a photographic record of urbanization processes was conducted to demonstrate how these changes altered the character of the Swiss suburban community of Schlieren, whose population grew from 13,000 to 20,000 from 2005 to 2020. At sixty-three locations throughout Schlieren, pictures were taken under identical conditions every two years. Simultaneously, a series of detail shots were produced that focused on individual objects.

Urban Change Over Time brings together the results of this spectacular research in a two-book volume. The first book, Archive, features the entire body of the eight images taken at each of the sixty-three sites. The second volume, Essays, combines the topical image series with essays that offer an in-depth examination of the study’s subject, detailed analyses and interpretations, and interviews by expert authors from various disciplines.

Meret Wandeler is a Zurich-based photographer and artist.

Ulrich Görlich is an artist and former head of the Master of Fine Arts program at Zurich University of the Art ZHdK.

Caspar Schärer is a Zurich-based architect and writer who also serves as secretary general of the Federation of Swiss Architects.