Zurich Issues a Thin Month of Housing Permits as Sites Stay Slow

ZURICH - City planning figures for April showed a thin month of new dwelling permits. Officials blamed financing costs, neighbourhood objections and the time it takes to clear a site more than a shortage of contractors. Vacancy remains near 0.3 percent.

Projects around Oerlikon and Altstetten still dominate the pipeline. Central districts add almost nothing. Tenant groups said the numbers prove density speeches need a date, not a vision.

A federal echo

National vacancy will later slip under one percent. Zurich is already there. The city's lists do not wait for a Swiss average.