“Great wave of destruction”

The boiler room in Zurich’s 10th district has been occupied by activists for a week. The building is owned by the Zurich City Electricity Company, which filed the criminal complaint. The area will be cleared by the police tomorrow. On Thursday, the invaders held a panel discussion there. They demanded more affordable housing and cultural freedom. Christian Schmid, Professor of Geography, Sociology and Urban Planning at ETH Zurich, took the podium.

SonntagsBlick: Mr. Schmid, have you ever moved into a house?
Christian Schmid: (laughs) Yes. in the early 1980s.

What was the reason?
Can we get back to this later?

You took the podium in EWZ’s boiler room on Thursday. A collective has been occupying this building since last Sunday. Why are you in solidarity with these people?
I attended a public event. This was planned for a long time. The cooking area and central laundry were organized by the representatives “Wochenzeitung” (“WoZ”). I chat with anyone who invites me. Slums also ask important questions.

They criticized the handling of urban living space.
There is a huge wave of destruction in Zurich. Many apartments are still in good condition – they are inexpensive and offer a good quality of life. Now there is a huge housing shortage and rents are rising accordingly. Many people are expelled from the city.

The city of Zurich is ruled by red and green!
This is usually nothing more than a red and green jacket. The municipality does nothing about house demolitions. This triggers a social and ecological crisis. New home construction is the most important source of CO₂ emissions worldwide. In addition, there is a lack of places for cultural freedom, creativity or beginners in Zurich.

Zurich has social and sustainable projects. By 2050, one-third of living spaces will be made available to the public.
I support but it’s not enough. That means we’ve missed climate targets by a long way. The socially disadvantaged are also lagging behind. Instead of demolishing existing houses, we must find new ways. By the way, this is a global problem.

Back to the EWZ: The occupation is illegal and the Zurich power company has filed a criminal complaint against an unidentified person for trespassing. As an ETH professor, shouldn’t you hold back your activism?
As an ETH professor, I did not take part in this event. I spoke as a researcher and a city dweller. I want to argue with people.

During the panel, you shared the demands of the invaders. As an ETH professor, don’t you cross the line?
I am doing research and trying to find solutions to get out of the current ecological and social crisis. This partially coincides with the demands of the slums. I don’t know where the border crossing should be.

Lausanne economics professor Julia Steinberger attends climate demonstrations and stays on the streets. Why are professors becoming more and more activists?
I am a geographer and I see climate change accelerating. I am a sociologist and I see social problems getting worse. I am a city researcher and I see how our cities are changing. Researchers have been paying attention to this for years. And now we are at a point where it really burns. The crisis is here – worldwide.

At the event in Kesselhaus, you said, “This is not a struggle for a few living spaces or cultural freedoms, this is a struggle for another world.” What exactly did you mean by that?
We really need to work for a different world. We cannot claim that a few cosmetic changes will suffice. We are in a crisis. And that needs answers. Whatever the political view, we must act.

During the panel, a representative from the Koch region chanted slogans such as “If the city does not comply with our demands, stones and fists will fly”. This is a call for violence. Why didn’t you intervene?
It’s not for me to correct anyone. I was a discussion partner. No law enforcement officers.

Do you see violence as a legitimate way to achieve climate goals?
Of course, I am not calling for violence. We have to persuade people with arguments.

Do you condemn what the representative of the Koch region said?
You choose a single sentence from an unheated constructive discussion. I learned a lot from him. There was no need to interfere. He wanted to express an urgency.

Think it’s a good idea to squat?
Coming back to your first question. I was part of the 80’s movement. Zurich owes a lot to this movement. It has changed social and cultural life and created new urban qualities. Without this movement, no red-green government would have emerged in 1990, which is still in effect today. You cannot do this with a petition. We must not forget where we came from.