Gabriela Debrunner, Senior Scientist and Lecturer at the Institute of Spatial and Landscape Development (IRL), ETH Zürich, Switzerland. As of August 2025, Assistant Professor in «Planning and Housing» (PLanH), Institute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD), University of Lausanne (UNIL)

This month we managed to catch up with Gabriela Debrunner, a long time member of our association. Well, for those of you who don’t know, Gabi is a human geographer and environmental social scientist. She will take up a position as Assistant Professor in «Planning and Housing» (PLanH) at the Institute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD) at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) as of August 1st, 2025. She is currently a senior researcher and lecturer at the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development (IRL), Chair of Spatial Development and Urban Policy (SPUR), at ETH Zurich.

She has been a member of the International Academic Association on Planning, Law, and Property Rights (PLPR) since 2017, when she first attended the annual conference as a PhD student in Novi Sad in 2018.

Gabriela’s recent achievements include the monograph The Business of Densification (2023) and the co-guest editorship for a forthcoming Special Issue in Urban Studies titled the same The Business of Densification (2026) with 16 articles and over 30 authors from all over the world involved. Gabriela Debrunner deals with the overarching question of how socio-economic inequalities in an era of green transition in cities can be reduced and governed.

Photo: by Joel Humm, Zürich

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about making cities more just and inclusive. My work focuses on how spatial planning and urban governance can reduce socio-economic inequalities—especially in the context of the green transition. I’m particularly interested in how densification and housing (re)development can be shaped to promote social and environmental sustainability, rather than deepen existing divides. What drives me is the opportunity to rethink urban transformation as a political and collaborative process, where planning actively supports equity, inclusion, and long-term resilience.

Theoretically and conceptually, I’m passionate about reflecting on contemporary spatial challenges—such as the housing crisis—through the lens of new institutionalism, as well as other strands like urban flexibility research, planning with power, or migration or segregation studies. I regularly integrate theoretical perspectives into my research to critically engage with key urban concepts such as gentrification, power, NIMBYism, urban social movements, flexibility and time, or property rights. This helps me unpack the socio-political structures that influence urban transformation and advocate for more equitable and sustainable planning practices.

What are you working on these days?

These days, I’m in a transitional phase before starting my new position as Assistant Professor in «Planning and Housing» at the University of Lausanne in summer 2025, which means I’m balancing several responsibilities at ETH Zurich while preparing for what’s ahead.

At ETH, my current focus lies on research, teaching, and supervision. Together with Prof. David Kaufmann and Dr. Michael Wicki, I’m working on a new article on densification, based on our SNSF-funded project Densifying Switzerland. I’m also finalizing the project’s concluding report, which is due in June 2025. In terms of supervision, I’m supporting several Master students in publishing their theses—either as journal articles or ETH international working papers—and I’m co-authoring publications with PhD students.

I’m also actively involved in submitting grant applications for new projects—most recently with Prof. Thomas Hartmann and Dr. Mathias Jehling on a DFG-Weave proposal in collaboration with Switzerland, as well as for a HORIZON call focused on Housing in Rural Areas. Additionally, I’m currently working on a new edited book project with Prof. Josje Bouwmeester (Utrecht University) and Dr. Jessica Verheij (EPFL Lausanne), to be published with Routledge, entitled Land Policies for Affordable Housing.

At the same time, I’m preparing for my future role in Lausanne: I’m recruiting a Postdoc and a PhD student (please feel free to share the open positions in your networks) and am already engaged in course planning and coordination for my teaching starting in fall 2025.

What brings you to PLPR?

First, my dear friend and long-term colleague at the University of Bern, Prof. Andreas Hengstermann, encouraged me to participate in the newly established PLPR workshop during my PhD studies. It was an incredibly valuable experience, helping me gain new insights and connect with others who shared similar academic interests.

Second, I am deeply drawn to PLPR because of its focus on the intersection of Planning, Law, and Property Rights—core themes that are central to my research. I approach these topics particularly through a new institutional perspective, particularly in the context of Swiss spatial planning. Planning is inherently about how public policies, such as land use, interact with private law dimensions, especially property rights. I’m fascinated by how individual property interests often collide with collective public interests in the planning process. PLPR provides the ideal collaborative network to discuss and further explore these complex issues.

Anecdote: things we don’t know about you?

Well, something you might not know about me is that I absolutely cannot stand ginger—it’s like my arch-nemesis in the food world! And when it comes to heights: I’m terrified of cable cars, which definitely adds a bit of complexity to living in mountainous Switzerland! 😅 It’s a bit tricky when everyone’s excited to take a cable car ride up to a beautiful mountain 🙂 But hey, I’m great at finding other ways to enjoy the view! 😄