Although there are interdependencies between transportation and regional development, it cannot necessarily be concluded that better accessibility triggers stronger growth. The effect of accessibility by various modes of transportation is influenced by larger-scale processes such as structural change and suburbanization. Structural change dictates the direction of economic development, whereas accessibility only starts to apply as a locational factor within this framework. Population growth is determined, in the respective phases, by suburbanization, reurbanization, and the external growth of the major economic areas.

Transportation infrastructure only becomes relevant when it comes to selecting a place of 
residence in a peripheral or central location. When planning future requirements for 
transportation infrastructure, it is important to take account of this cause-and-effect 
pattern. Transportation and spatial planning influence each other. Consequently, it would 
be beneficial for everyone involved if the relevant bodies were to work closely together. 
Those are the findings of the latest study from Credit Suisse Economic Research. 

The transportation infrastructure is fundamental to the smooth functioning of both 
business and residential locations. Consequently, good accessibility should be reflected 
in positive regional development. But does such a correlation actually exist? The new 
Credit Suisse study examines this issue with regard to Switzerland as a whole. The 
mobility situation and the correlation between transportation and regional development 
were examined in detail in the case of Aargau, as transportation is of particular 
importance to this canton owing to its specific location. To this end, commuters' time 
costs and changes in locations quality for various traffic scenarios were modelled. 
Good Transportation infrastructure Does Not Guarantee Employment Growth

The Credit Suisse study examines the influence of transportation infrastructure within 
Switzerland's ad hoc defined macro-regions. It can be seen that the economic power of 
these regions rises in line with improving accessibility while their attractiveness to 
certain industries also increases. For Switzerland as a whole, this applies in particular 
to the provision of business services while in Aargau it applies to high-tech industry 
and to the forwarding and transportation sectors. On the other hand, greater 
accessibility is not necessarily associated in Switzerland with more dynamic economic 
development. Between the rapid growth of the centers and the moderate growth on the 
fringe of the major economic regions, there is a dip in employment growth in the inner 
ring around the centers. Structural economic change in these areas has led to stagnating 
employment, which overlays the influence of transportation infrastructure on the region's 
development. 
Population Growth Between Suburbanization and Reurbanization

The correlation between population growth and accessibility varies. Between 1990 and 
2000, population followed a suburbanization trend – the more accessible the area, the 
lower the rate of population growth. High prices and rents in central locations plus the 
desire to live among greenery and in one's own property were more important criteria for 
people seeking a home than an easily accessible location. This is also reflected in the 
distribution of income, which is highest outside the centers. After the year 2000, the 
correlation to population growth turned around: the higher the degree of accessibility, 
the more dynamic the population growth. One reason for this turnaround was the high rate 
of immigration in recent years: Migrants generally head for urban centers. Residential 
construction, however, is less oriented to this new taste for city centers: Most building 
work is still being done outside the cities. 

The distribution of business and residential locations between centers and peripheral 
areas inevitably gives rise to commuter flows. Since the spatial separation of working 
and living areas is especially pronounced in Aargau, this canton sees above-average 
commuter flows. Consequently, great importance is attached to car use – and, like in the 
rest of Switzerland, the trend is on the up. In the future, traffic flows in Aargau may 
be boosted not only by a rising volume of transit traffic but also by continuing 
population growth. The possible repercussions of this development on locational quality 
and time costs for road commuters were thus modeled for the canton of Aargau. 
How and Where Does the Upgrading of Transportation Infrastructure Affect Development?

According to the Credit Suisse economists, better accessibility gives rise to greater 
economic growth –especially in places where accessibility is already high. Economic 
growth in Switzerland is focused on the fast-growing areas of the Mittelland (central 
plateau) and the Lake Geneva region. Within these areas, improvements to accessibility 
have the effect of boosting development. Moreover, analysis results reflect the effects 
that transportation upgrades have on settlement patterns, though here again the trend has 
varied from one period to another: Prior to 2000, population grew at faster-than-average 
rates in almost all areas that saw improvements to public transportation; after 2000, 
such growth was seen mainly in the centers and the areas immediately adjacent to them. 
Impact of Changes in Transportation Infrastructure Varies According to Specific Situation

The study has shown that regional development cannot be explained simply by the equation 
"better access = higher growth". The importance of transportation and accessibility is 
superceded by larger-scale processes such as structural change and suburbanization. 
Following a phase of stagnation, the importance of the urban centers has risen again in 
recent years. By contrast, the areas immediately adjacent to them, as the first targets 
of suburbanization, have lost some of their importance as residential and business 
locations. Following structural change, therefore, the centers are experiencing a 
renaissance whereas restructuring now seems mainly to be affecting the built-up areas 
adjoining them. Meanwhile, growth on the fringe of the major economic regions is 
continuing. Accessibility by various modes of transportation (or improvements to 
accessibility) becomes relevant as locational factors within this general evolution.
Transportation Planning Not the Only Answer to Mobility Issues

The fact that many Swiss work in a location other than their place of residence gives 
rise to a high proportion of traffic flows. Solving this structural transportation 
problem means addressing the structures themselves. For one thing, planning of settlement 
patterns and transportation infrastructure could be coordinated, notably through close 
cooperation between the main players in local and regional government. Ultimately, 
everyone stands to benefit from a properly functioning regional and national 
transportation infrastructure. A common interest in the overriding goal of optimized 
spatial organization should emerge from these considerations. The incentives structure 
holds the key to future planning. Making a particular mode of transportation more 
attractive, for example, may adversely affect another mode or promote residential 
development in poorly accessible areas. Therefore, measures taken at the political and 
planning level should take proper account of the shifts in incentives triggered by these 
changes and their possible impact on future development.

Die Credit Suisse Group ist ein weltweit führendes Finanzdienstleistungs-
Unternehmen, das Kunden in sämtlichen Finanzfragen berät, weltweit und rund 
um die Uhr.

Die Credit Suisse blickt auf eine über 150 Jahre lange Geschichte zurück. In 
dieser Zeit entwickelte sich die einstige Schweizer Investment Bank nach und 
nach zu einer global tätigen, integrierten Universalbank.

Am 5. Juli 1856 gründete der herausragende Politiker, Wirtschaftsführer und 
Pionier Alfred Escher die Schweizerische Kreditanstalt. Der ursprüngliche Zweck 
der neuen Bank bestand darin, den Ausbau des Eisenbahnnetzes (z.B. die 
Nordostbahn) und die Industrialisierung in der Schweiz zu finanzieren. Die 
Gründung des Unternehmens war ein Riesenerfolg: Anfangs wurden Aktien in der 
Höhe von 3 Millionen Franken ausgegeben, innerhalb von drei Tagen erreichen die 
Zeichnungen jedoch einen Betrag von 218 Millionen Franken. 

Die Erfolgsgeschichte setzte sich in den folgenden 152 Jahren fort - die Credit 
Suisse entwickelte sich kontinuierlich zu einem weltweit führenden Anbieter in 
der Finanzdienstleistungsbranche. Dies erfolgte einerseits durch ein starkes 
organisches Wachstum und anderseits durch eine Reihe bedeutender Fusionen und 
Akquisitionen. Dabei wurden verschiedenste Fachkenntnisse, Kulturen und 
Philosophien miteinander vereinigt, um eine starke integrierte Bank zu schaffen. 

Das Geschäftsmodell der Credit Suisse kombiniert die Expertise in den Bereichen 
Private Banking, Investment Banking und Asset Management. 

Private Banking
Die Credit Suisse bietet umfassende Beratung und eine breite Palette von 
Dienstleistungen, die auf die Bedürfnisse von vermögenden Privatkunden weltweit 
und von Privat- und Firmenkunden in der Schweiz zugeschnitten sind. 

Investment Banking
Die Credit Suisse bietet Unternehmen, institutionellen Investoren und 
staatlichen Körperschaften auf der ganzen Welt umfassende Investment Banking-
Dienstleistungen und Wertschriftenprodukte.

Asset Management
Die Credit Suisse bietet integrierte Anlagelösungen in allen Anlagekategorien, 
von Aktien, Anleihen und gemischten Produkten bis zu alternativen Anlagen. 

Publisher:
swiss-press.com

Branche:
Finanzen
Finanzen
Kontakt:
Credit Suisse Group / Finanzen.help.ch

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