Which cities in Switzerland have the most green space?

While Switzerland is a land known for lush forests, rolling fields and imposing mountains, which city offers residents the most green space? Here’s what you need to know:

Green spaces vital for keeping cities cool

Especially when the weather in Switzerland gets hot, cities can feel like furnaces. In most cases, the concrete buildings and dense asphalt turn them into “heat islands,” where temperatures in city centres can be noticeably warmer than in suburban and rural areas.

In periods of high heat, green spaces, water, and shade are all the more important. Densely green areas act as natural air conditioning for city residents, cooling the air and providing much-needed shade.

To determine which Swiss city is the greenest, the Tages-Anzeiger utilised 375 satellite images to map vegetation levels across the country in 2022, 2023, and 2024. They used this data to compare the 54 Swiss cities and towns that are home to more than 20.000 people.

Riehen and Wädenswil the Swiss cities with the most green space

They discovered that the towns of Riehen (Canton Bern), Wädenswil (Canton Zurich) and Köniz (Canton Bern) are the cities with the most green space in Switzerland. In Riehen, 71,4 percent of the town’s area is covered with vegetation of some kind, alongside 67,7 percent in Wädenswil and 63,7 percent in Köniz.

By contrast, the town of Meyrin in Canton Geneva is the least green city in the country, with just 28,4 percent of the town consisting of green space. The Genevan town of Carouge followed with 29,5 percent.

What about Zurich, Basel and Geneva?

When it comes to the largest Swiss cities, a mixed picture emerges. Lugano has the most green area at 62 percent of its total, with around a third of the population living in areas that are 80 percent green space. St. Gallen (58 percent) and Winterthur (56 percent) followed behind.

In Zurich, 49 percent of the city is covered by green space. While there are practically no green areas in the old town and Oerlikon, the deficit is made up by lush places along the Limmat and Sihl, and the forests at Käferberg and Weinegg. Bern (49,5 percent) maintains a good green belt along the River Aare, Lausanne (44,7 percent) is helped by green areas in the outskirts, while Basel (33,3 percent) is largely devoid of green spaces in the city centre. 

However, the worst major city is Geneva, with only 31,3 percent of it being covered by plants and parks. Sécheron, Eaux-Vives, and Vernets have no room for green space beyond some sites along the lake and river, though this picture does improve in the less densely populated districts of Servette, Petit-Saconnex, and Boissière, where small green areas exist.

The Swiss cities with the most and least green space

In all, here are the 10 Swiss cities with the most green space:

1. Riehen, Canton Bern (71,4 percent)
2. Wädenswil, Canton Zurich (67,7 percent)
3. Köniz, Canton Bern (63,7 percent)
4. Bellinzona, Canton Ticino (62,9 percent)
5. Montreux, Canton Vaud (62,8 percent)
6. Lugano, Canton Ticino (61,7 percent)
7. Uster, Canton Zurich (61,1 percent)
8. Horgen, Canton Zurich (60,7 percent)
9. Rapperswil-Jona, Canton St. Gallen (59,3 percent)
10. Kriens, Canton Lucerne (58,8 percent)

Here are the towns with the least amount of green space:

1. Meyrin, Canton Geneva (28,4 percent)
2. Carouge, Canton Geneva (29,5 percent)
3. Geneva (31,3 percent)
4. Renens, Canton Vaud (31,3 percent)
5. Basel (33,3 percent)
6. Nyon, Canton Vaud (36,6 percent)
7. Vernier, Canton Geneva (37,6 percent)
8. Schlieren, Canton Zurich (39,7 percent)
9. Lancy, Canton Geneva (41,1 percent)
10. Vevey, Canton Vaud (41,1 percent)

For more information, check out the piece from the Tages-Anzeiger (subscription required).