About
116
Publications
52,983
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
1,104
Citations
Introduction
Marco Pütz is head of the research group “Regional Economics and Development” at WSL. With a background in economic geography, he is working on environmental and regional governance, regional development, spatial planning, adaptation to climate change, and sustainability transformations. He has been involved in over 40 European and Swiss research projects in different roles. He is teaching at the University of Zurich.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
September 2014 - present
September 2013 - February 2015
July 2006 - present
Position
- Regional Economics and Development
Description
- Head of Research Group
Education
August 1999 - July 2004
August 1995 - May 1996
October 1991 - July 1999
Publications
Publications (116)
With some level of climate change now inevitable, climate policy around the world has evolved in recent decades to include adaptation to the impacts of climate change. Most industrialized countries have formulated national adaptation strategies to meet this challenge. However, the implementation of on‐the‐ground measures is lagging. To analyze the...
Most studies use quantitative measures to assess spatial planning outcomes. Instead, this paper proposes a novel qualitative framework to assess spatial planning outcomes that seek to understand why outcomes conform to, or deviate from, the intentions of spatial planning instruments. This novel framework links the conformance perspective with gover...
![Typology of societal transformations based on [22], modified](publication/371882778/figure/fig2/AS:11431281276653265@1725694180015/Typology-of-societal-transformations-based-on-22-modified_Q320.jpg)
Transformations–defined as deep, radical, non-linear, multi-dimensional, systemic processes of change–are required to avert serious threats to humanity and the environment. In this study, we have analysed past transformations in Switzerland in four environmental domains, with the aim to draw conclusions for current challenges, such as the net-zero...
The tourism industry is complex and deeply embedded into the social, environmental, and cultural fabric of social-ecological systems. Tourism presents an additional rural development pathway for regions to diversify their economies and strengthen resilience at both micro (individual/business) and macro (community/regional) scales. In an Australian...
Compared to the prevailing sustainability strategies of efficiency and consistency, sufficiency is poorly represented both in scientific literature and in political debate but has increasingly gained attention in recent years. However, the discussion lacks a uniform understanding on sufficiency policy and how to conceptualize it. Furthermore, the s...
Diese Studie untersucht die Wechselwirkungen zwischen den Massnahmen zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel aus den beiden Aktionsplänen des Bundesamts für Umwelt mit den Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Insgesamt wurden die Beschreibungen von 90 Massnahmen zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel aus 14 Bereichen analysiert. In einer Matrix wurden die Anpa...
Städte und Regionen spielen eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Umsetzung von Umwelt- und Klimazielen. Die Planung der Klima- wandelanpassung ist eine ungewohnte Querschnittsaufgabe für lokale Verwaltungen, denn sie berührt andere umwelt- und sozial- politische Themenfelder und -politiken. Daraus ergeben sich Syn- ergien, aber auch Zielkonflikte. Eine...
Übergeordnete Konzepte und Strategien zur Anpassung an die Folgen der Erderhitzung sind weniger objektiv, als es den Anschein hat. Eine stärkere Auseinandersetzung mit den gesellschaftlichen und politischen Werten, die die planerische Klimawandelanpassung vor Ort leiten, tut Not.
We engage with debates on shifting geographies of sovereignty in the digital age by providing a conceptual framework for “situated sovereignty”. Our contribution draws on a review of the scholarly literature and current sovereignty practices. We aim to move beyond state‐centred and territorial understandings of sovereignty. A common discussion is t...
Dieser Beitrag vergleicht die überörtliche Raumplanung in Regionen Deutschlands und der Schweiz. Im Prinzip funktionieren die Planungssysteme in beiden Ländern ähnlich. Der Föderalismus, rechtlich verbindliche Planungsinstrumente sowie das Spannungsfeld zwischen der überörtlichen Raumplanung und der kommunalen Planungshoheit gehören zu den Gemeinsa...
In Germany and Switzerland, land use and urban sprawl there has been a central topic of public debate for several years. Cantonal structure plans in Switzerland as well as state and regional plans in Germany contain binding regulations for managing settlement development. Studies that examine the implementation of these regulations are lacking. Thi...
Alpine open spaces are becoming noticeably scarcer. In the Alps, this applies to the inherently limited area of permanent settlement, which in the case of Tyrol covers only 11.8%. The population is growing in many of the valleys and with it the infrastructure it requires. However, the open spaces, situated at altitudes above the settlements, are al...
Dieser Beitrag vergleicht die überörtliche Raumplanung in Regionen Deutschlands und der Schweiz. Im Prinzip funktionieren die Planungssysteme in beiden Ländern ähnlich. Der Föderalismus, rechtlich verbindliche Planungsinstrumente sowie das Spannungsfeld zwischen der überörtlichen Raumplanung und der kommunalen Planungshoheit gehören zu den Gemeinsa...
Post-Growth Geographies examines the spatial relations of diverse and alternative economies between growth-oriented institutions and multiple socio-ecological crises. The book brings together conceptual and empirical contributions from geography and its neighbouring disciplines and offers different perspectives on the possibilities, demands and cri...
Post-Growth Geographies examines the spatial relations of diverse and alternative economies between growth-oriented institutions and multiple socio-ecological crises. The book brings together conceptual and empirical contributions from geography and its neighbouring disciplines and offers different perspectives on the possibilities, demands and cri...
Alpine open spaces are becoming noticeably scarcer. In the Alps, this applies to the inherently limited area of permanent settlement, which in the case of Tyrol covers only 11.8%. The population is growing in many of the valleys and with it the infrastructure it requires. However, the open spaces at higher altitudes are also being successively frag...
Agenda Raum Schweiz 2040 – damit führt Hochparterre den Diskurs für ein neues Raumkonzept Schweiz. Heute: Es braucht gerechte Räume und einen Sachplan
Dekarbonisierung.
A survey of residents in the Locarnese region of Canton Ticino, Switzerland was used to examine perceptions of exposure to environmental risk in the context of the deliberative Swiss planning system. There is a growing risk of wildfire in the region, and unless residents’ risk perceptions are understood and effectively integrated into decision maki...
In this article, we investigate knowledge exchange at the intersection of science and Swiss public policy in the fields of spatial planning, land use and soil management. Based on a literature review and expert interviews, we identify six types of knowledge exchange, and examine the barriers to and opportunities for knowledge exchange. These six un...
Der Band »Postwachstumsgeographien« untersucht die Raumbezüge diverser und alternativer Ökonomien im Spannungsfeld von wachstumsorientierten Institutionen und multiplen sozialökologischen Krisen. Die Beiträge greifen diesen Ansatz erstmals umfassend auf und eröffnen mit konzeptionellen und empirischen Fachbeiträgen aus der Geographie und deren Nach...
Open spaces in the Alps are becoming noticeably scarcer, and the long-term consequences for humans and the environment are often overlooked. Open spaces preserve ecosystem services but are under pressure in many Alpine valleys due to demographic and economic development as well as corresponding technical and tourism infrastructure. This article con...
In recent years, policy-makers and researchers have identified regional development agencies as the most suitable actors to carry out public tasks. One of these tasks has been the coordination of regional development processes. Both practitioners and researchers argue that legitimacy is a prerequisite for these regional actors to function properly....
Many countries use spatial planning instruments to coordinate interests in land use and influence land-use change. In Switzerland, the cantonal structure plan (kantonale Richtplan) serves as the main spatial planning instrument at the cantonal level. Coordinating land-use interests and influencing land-use change requires ‘regional governance capac...
In the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) crisis, uncertain and experimental forms of governance have emerged. Administrative routines and established management techniques have dissolved amid emergency actions and management by the state of exception. We refer to these emerging governance forms as transformative governance. Discussing exa...
Der Band »Postwachstumsgeographien« untersucht die Raumbezüge diverser und alternativer Ökonomien im Spannungsfeld von wachstumsorientierten Institutionen und multiplen sozialökologischen Krisen. Die Beiträge greifen diesen Ansatz erstmals umfassend auf und eröffnen mit konzeptionellen und empirischen Fachbeiträgen aus der Geographie und deren Nach...
Regionen, die sich bewusst vom »Höher, Schneller, Mehr« verabschieden, sind wichtige Bausteine einer Postwachstumsgesellschaft. Auf den Eckpfeilern Suffizienz, Solidarität, Gemeinwohl und Experimentierfreude gebaut, bietet die regionale Ebene den idealen Raum für alternative Modellvorhaben.
52 au s d er a r L 03 / 2019 _ N ach r i chteN d er a r L Wir beobachten, dass Fragen von Wachstum und Post-wachstum die raumentwicklungsdebatte immer stärker beschäftigen. einerseits nehmen wir immer noch erhebli-che Widerstände gegenüber einer abkehr von wachstums-orientierter raumentwicklung wahr. andererseits stellen wir fest, dass Wachstumskri...
Ein neues, interaktives Tool der WSL zeigt, welche Governance-Strukturen und -Prozesse die
Anpassung an den Klimawandel im Alpenraum charakterisieren.
Territorial analyses of the Alps 2050 project
If you want to know how the Alps area will look like in 2050 our ESPON project Alps 2050 is the best source of information. The project focused on the challenges the broader Alpine area is facing such as specific geographical position, globalisation, demographic trends, climate change and its impact on the environment, biodiversity, territorial pat...
The infrastructural development of Switzerland is progressing rapidly. As a result, near-natural landscapes which are kept free of infrastructure are becoming increasingly scarce and smaller throughout Switzerland. But open spaces not only guarantee vital ecological functions for humans, but are also of fundamental importance for the high aesthetic...
Climate change severely affects Alpine regions. Adaptation to climate change is needed in order to deal with these impacts, but the implementation of national adaptation strategies is inhibited by multiple obstacles. Regional strategic frameworks are just emerging, adaptation is of little priority to local agendas and policy mainstreaming is limite...
Regional development is a mainstay of Swiss domestic policy, as evidenced by the federal government’s New Regional Policy, regional nature parks, and more. But how do regional development processes really work? And how could they be more effectively supported? This factsheet analyses existing models and provides recommendations for action.
Comme l’attestent la nouvelle politique régionale de la Confédération et la constitution de parcs naturels régionaux, le développement des régions est en Suisse un pilier central de la politique. Mais comment fonctionnent vraiment les processus de développement régional ? Comment pourraient-ils être mieux soutenus ? La présente publication analyse...
Final Report of Alps 2050 project
Scientific Annex to the Alps 2050 project including references of cited literature of all reports
The adaptation of agricultural systems to climate change remains one of humanity's greatest challenges. Regions with complex, knowledge-intensive farming practices have many components that can be adjusted to increase systemic resilience. An argument for the importance of evolutionary adaptation pathways is developed with a case-study of the viticu...
Regional governance has received growing attention, not only from researchers, but also from politicians and practitioners of regional development. The understanding and usage of the concept, however, are highly heterogeneous: sometimes regional governance is described or explained in terms of its characteristics, processes and impacts, while at ot...
Alpine open spaces are becoming noticeably scarcer. This statement applies to the inherently restricted area of permanent settlement in the Alps, which, e. g., covers only 11.8 % of the territory of Tyrol. The population is growing in many of the valleys and with it the infrastructure required. However, the open spaces, situated at altitudes above...
Governance of forest recreation: analysing the case of mountain bike trails
In the last years, leisure and recreation activities in forests have become more important. Sustainable forest management not only fulfils the functions of protection and use, but also promotes the welfare and recreation function of forests. For this, it is not only necessa...
What is “urban forestry”?
This question is discussed in an interview with Cecil C. Konijnendijk van den Bosch, Professor of Urban Forestry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (CA). Urban forestry is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the planning, design and management of urban green spaces, and in particular with trees and fore...
Recreational activities have undergone a change from mainly passive forms (e.g. rest, relaxation, reinvigoration, solitude and escape) to more active forms (e.g. mountain biking, climbing and running). Correspondingly, the demand for forest recreation infrastructure to support the more active forms has increased. However, very little is known about...
Urban forestry in Switzerland: five challenges for science and practice (essay)
The debate on urban forestry has reached Switzerland. Urban forestry covers different activities in science, practice and society dealing with trees, forest and green spaces in cities and suberbs. What exactly “urban forestry” as a term and concept can and is expected t...
Replacement of conventional energy sources with renewables such as solar panels and wind turbines requires adequate land. Impact assessments should be conducted to identify sites exhibiting least conflict with current and future land-uses and corresponding ecosystem services. We assessed the electricity potential and geographical distribution of wi...
The analysis, evaluation and safeguarding of Alpine open spaces through regional and spatial planning Alpine open spaces are becoming noticeably scarcer. This statement applies to the inherently restricted area of permanent settlement in the Alps, which, e. g., covers only 11.8 % of the territory of the Tyrol. The population is growing in many of t...
Governance of protected areas is a rapidly growing research field as new actors rather than governments play crucial roles in decision-making processes, and new forms and mechanisms of decision-making complement existing regulations. However, little is known about the key characteristics of new forms of protected area governance and how they differ...
Zusammenfassung
Der Beitrag untersucht Großschutzgebiete aus der Perspektive der raumbezogenen Governance-Forschung. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Analyse der Governance-Regime ausgewählter Großschutzgebiete in Österreich und der Schweiz. Es wird eruiert, durch welche Merkmale und Strukturen die Governance-Regime der Großschutzgebiete charakterisiert si...
Land-use systems and biodiversity in Germany can be investigated using the network of protected areas. This issue focuses on nature parks, national parks and biosphere reserves that are confronted with various problems related to competition for land and acceptance. The working group “Biodiversity and sustainable land use in protected areas” of the...
Das Forschungsprogramm Raumansprüche von Mensch und Natur untersuchte von
2012 bis 2015, wie die Siedlungsentwicklung Lebensqualität und Biodiversität beeinflusst
und welche Konflikte daraus resultieren. Das Forschungsprogramm konzentrierte sich
auf von der Siedlungsentwicklung besonders stark betroffene Räume ausserhalb der
grossen Zentren und Agg...
Le programme de recherche Les exigences spatiales de l’homme et de la nature a étudié
de 2012 à 2015 les influences de l’urbanisation sur la qualité de vie et la biodiversité, ainsi
que les conflits qui en résultent. Il s’est concentré sur les zones particulièrement concernées,
situées à l’extérieur des grands centres et agglomérations. Le Seetal l...
Die Regionalentwicklungspolitik in der Schweiz setzt zunehmend auf die Förderung von regionalem Wachstum und auf die Stärkung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit durch die Aktivierung von endogenem Potenzial. Damit ist eine deutliche Abkehr von der früheren Förderlogik zu erkennen, die vornehmlich darauf setzte, die Disparitäten durch die Umverteilung von Res...
The aim of INSPIRATION is to establish and promote the adoption of a strategic research agenda for land use, land-use changes and soil management in the light of current and future societal challenges. Main objectives are:
Formulate, consult on and revise an end-user oriented strategic research agenda (SRA);
Scope out models for implementing th...
Tourism has become one of the most significant economic sectors in the Alps. Yet the vulnerability of tourism to climate change in the Alpine area has increased significantly over the past decade, a development amplified by concentrated touristic use in space and time. In addition, the effects of climate change are more significant in the Alps than...
The aim of the Coordination and Support Action INSPIRATION is to achieve in a the bottom-up approach the developing, delivering, match-making and promoting of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for land and the soil-sediment-water system, land-use changes and soil management addressing the societal challenges in Europe.
The main objective of WP2 “De...
Miosga, Manfred; Hafner, Sabine (Hrsg.) (2014): Regionalentwicklung im Zeichen der Großen Transformation. Strategien für Ressourceneffizienz, demografischen Wandel und Innovationsfähigkeit. München: Oekom-Verlag, 432 S.
Urban Forestry: definitions, trends and consequences for forest stakeholders in Switzerland
Since the mid-1990s the term “urban forestry” is used as an umbrella term for different activities in research and practice dealing with trees, forest and green space in cities and agglomerations. Though, urban forestry means more than just city forestry or...
Landscape and Amenity Migration: The Role of Landscape as a Driver of Immigration to Rural Switzerland
In this study, domestic return migration from agglomerations to rural areas is examined for all of Switzerland for the first time. Using Swiss census data, a definition of return migration was devel-oped which takes into account the small-scale s...
Among the different functions forests offer, recreation is increasing in importance to a growing global population. This is at a time when multifunctional forest management can no longer cover its costs solely from the revenue from wood production. The governance of forest recreation is assumed to be different from that of other forest functions bu...
Currently the number of conflicts between forest users is increasing due to new and growing societal demands for forest recreation in addition to the traditional forest function of wood production. Outdoor sports and forest education programmes are adding to the demands on forest use. Even between recreational users there is conflict, e.g. between...
Since 1990 cross-border cooperation in the European Union (EU) is funded within the INTERREG programme. The planning and implementation of INTERREG projects as well as the preparation of regional development strategies in each INTERREG programme area involves state and non-state actors. Different institutional frameworks of the EU and the nation st...
This study delivers empirical evidence regarding the adaptive capacities of spatial planning systems and related factors both supporting and hindering climate change adaptation in the European Alps. Many international and national adaptation strategies consider spatial planning an important policy field for climate change adaptation. Existing adapt...
This report gives an overview of the status of climate change adaptation (CCA) policy-making and governance in the Alpine space and constitutes an assessment of CCA policy performance based on an
investigation of policy documents and policy-making processes, as well as their existing and expected impacts. The current challenges and barriers to – as...
European Climate Vulnerabilities and Adaptation: A Spatial Planning Perspective analyses the impacts climate change might have on regions and their local economies. Regions clearly differ in view of the complex patterns of climate change impact, but also regarding the given vulnerability and coping capacity.
Impacts of climate change can have a mar...
Regional policies across Europe aim at stimulating regional development in non-core regions through fostering entrepreneurship. However, the policies applied in non-core regions and the concepts of entrepreneurship these policies are based on differ. Therefore, the goal of this review is to identify different understandings of entrepreneurship and...
The paper deals with urban sprawl and land use planning to examine the role of scale and power for regional environmental governance processes. Urban sprawl is chosen as a field of study because it represents an environmental problem; and land use planning is regarded as the political intervention to solve the problem. Moreover, land use planning i...
Technical snowmaking has become an important measure in winter tourism destinations to deal with decreasing snow reliability, seasonal weather variability, and growing customer demand. This study analyzes tourists' attitudes toward technical snowmaking, their preferences for snow reliability, and other factors that influence destination choice. We...
Recreational use of swiss forests: their importance for the regional economy.
Forests fulfill conservation, production and welfare functions. If forests are not considered isolatedly, but rather as part of a landscape or a region, their positive impact on regional welfare becomes apparent. The regional economic impact of the recreational use of Sw...
The winter tourism industry is facing considerable challenges with climate change; it is increasingly responding with investments in snowmaking facilities. We present a study on 3 tourism destinations in the Swiss Alps that addressed resource consumption of snowmaking, snow reliability, and future snowmaking potential in a warmer climate. The energ...
Climate change and its related impacts are heavily affecting land use and land use development. In its
Green Paper entitled "Adaptation to Climate Change in Europe - Options for EU Action", the European
Commission points out the potential of spatial planning to define cost-effective measures to adapt to
the impacts of climate change (EC 2007). Furt...
This guidance was developed in the project CLISP - Climate Change Adaptation by Spatial Planning in the Alpine Space within the framework of the European Territorial Cooperation Alpine Space Programme 2007-2013. Further information and results of the CLISP project are available at: www.clisp.eu.
Forests fulfill conservation, production and welfare functions. If forests are not considered isolatedly, but rather as part of a landscape or a region, their positive impact on regional welfare becomes apparent. The regional economic impact of the recreational use of Swiss forests is investigated in the case study regions of Sihlwald, a typical lo...
Entrepreneurship as local entrepreneurial potential for regional development in rural areas. Evidence from a Delphi-survey in Switzerland. The promotion of entrepreneurship is part of many regional policies. By implementing such policies, however, stakeholders often neither share a common interpretation of the term entrepreneurship nor do they have...
Fiscal instruments and land consumption
Even though promoting sustainable spatial development is part of official Swiss federal policy
and law, land consumption and urban sprawl in Switzerland are progressing at an unsustainable
pace. Recent settlement developments tend to be associated with increases in trafficrelated
pollution, the degradation of...
Entrepreneurship as local entrepreneurial potential for regional development in rural areas. Evidence from a Delphi-survey in Switzerland. The promotion of entrepreneurship is part of many regional policies. By implementing such policies, however, stakeholders often neither share a common interpretation of the term entrepreneurship nor do they have...
Economic importance of nature-based tourism in the Simmental and Diemtigtal. Regional economic impacts and success factors.
The research project aims to assess the regional economic impact of nature-based tourism in Swiss forests and to identify possibilities for enhancing the added value. The research strategy was to analyse both demand and supp...
There is currently a debate in Switzerland about the future of peripheral rural areas and adequate policies for maintaining the decentralized settlement patterns of the country. This article presents an interdisciplinary analysis of the issues of decentralized settlement by focusing on the challenges faced in this realm by the region of Surselva in...
