Publications

BOOKS

Journal articles (double-blind peer review)

Wehr, Malte, Michael Wicki, Stefan Wittwer, and David Kaufmann. 2025. Beyond NIMBY-ism: rethinking acceptance of housing densification in a direct democratic renters society. Journal of Public Policy. Early Online.
***Open Access***

Kauer, Fiona, Elena Lutz, and David Kaufmann. 2025. Housing after redevelopment: Where and to what buildings do displaced residents move? Urban Studies: Early Online.
***Open Access***

Morandell, Theresia, Michael Wicki, and David Kaufmann. 2025.Between fragmentation and integration: exploring urban-rural coordination in the planning of medium-sized European cities. Territority, Politics, Governance. Early Online.
***Open Access***

Elvarsson, Arnór B., Bryan T. Adey, and David Kaufmann. 2025. On the responsiveness of infrastructure processes: from identifying needs to delivery. Infrastructure Asset Management : 1-15.
***Open Access***

Wicki, Michael, Fiona Kauer, Katrin Hofer, and David Kaufmann. 2025. Nuancing NIMBYism: How regulatory preferences shape public acceptance of housing densification. Journal of Urban Affairs, 1-21.
***Open Access***

Morandell, Theresia, Michael Wicki, and David Kaufmann. 2025. The planning of urban–rural linkages: An automated content analysis of spatial plans adopted by European intermediate cities. Landscape and Urban Planning 255: 105258.
***Open Access***

Kaufmann, David, Michael Wicki, Stefan Wittwer, and Jake Stephan. 2024. Democratic discrepancies in urban sustainable development. Nature Sustainability 7(11): 1409-1418.
***Open Access***

Palacios, Nicolás, and David Kaufmann. 2024. Strategies and Tactics in Platform Urbanism: Contested Spatial Production through Quick Delivery Platforms in Berlin and Barcelona. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 48(5): 833-854.
***Open Access***

Lutz, Elena, Michael Wicki, David Kaufmann. 2024. Creating inequality in access to public transit? Densification, gentrification, and displacement. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science 51(9): 2196–2212.
***Open Access***

Hofer, Katrin, Michael Wicki, and David Kaufmann. 2024. Public support for participation in local development. World Development 178: 106569.
***Open Access***

Debrunner, Gabriela, Katrin Hofer, Michael Wicki, Fiona Kauer, and David Kaufmann. 2024. Housing Precarity in Six European and North American Cities: Threatened by the Loss of a Safe, Stable, and Affordable Home. Journal of the American Planning Association 90(4): 610-626.
***Open Access***

Wicki, Michael, Sophie Hauller, Thomas Bernauer, and David Kaufmann. 2024. Beyond a transport node? What residents want from transforming railway stations. European Planning Studies 32(1): 1–23.
***Open Access***

Hofer, Katrin, and David Kaufmann. 2023. Actors, Arenas and Aims: A Conceptual Framework for Public Participation. Planning Theory. 22(4): 357-464.
***Open Access***

Debrunner, Gabriela, and David Kaufmann. 2023. Land valuation in densifying cities: The negotiation process between institutional landowners and municipal planning authorities. Land Use Policy. 132: 106813.
***Open Access***

Perić, Ana, Sophie Hauller, and David Kaufmann. 2023. Cooperative planning under pro-development urban agenda? A collage of densification practices in Zurich, Switzerland. Habitat International, 140: 102922.
***Open Access***

Wittwer, Stefan, Katrin Hofer, and David Kaufmann. 2023. An urban take on sustainable development policies and corresponding positioning strategies. npj Urban Sustainability 3, 1.
***Open Access***

Kaufmann, David and Mala Walz. 2023. Irregular Migration and the City. Oxford Bibliographies in Urban Studies. Ed. Richardson Dilworth. New York: Oxford University Press.
– Preprint version (accepted version)

Bazurli, Raffaele, and David Kaufmann. 2023. Insurgent Asylum Policies in European Cities: A Multi-Level Governance Perspective. Urban Affairs Review 59 (4): 1129-1159.
***Open Access***
***Winner of the Best Paper in Urban or Regional Politics presented at the 2020 American Political Science Association Annual Conference***

Kaufmann, David, and Laurent Bernhard. 2023. The Use of the Abuse Policy Narrative in Asylum Debates and its Effects on Citizens’ Opinion Formation. Journal of Public Policy 43(2): 307-325.
***Open Access***

Wicki, Michael, Katrin Hofer, and David Kaufmann. 2022. Planning instruments enhance the acceptance of urban densification. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 119 (38) e2201780119.
***Open Access***

Wicki, Michael, and David Kaufmann. 2022. Accepting and resisting densification: The importance of project-related factors and the contextualizing role of neighbourhoods. Landscape and Urban Planning: 220 (104350).
***Open Access***

Kaufmann, David, Nora Räss, Dominique Strebel and Fritz Sager. 2022. Sanctuary Cities in Europe? A Policy Survey of Urban Policies in Support of Irregular Migrants. British Journal of Political Science 52(4):1954–1963.
***Open Access***

Hinterleitner, Markus, David Kaufmann and Eva Thomann. 2022. The fit between regulatory instruments and targets: Regulating the economic integration of migrants, Regulation & Governance 16: 892–909.

Kaufmann, David and Dominique Strebel. 2021. Urbanizing Migration Policy-Making: Urban Policies in Support of Irregular Migrants in Geneva and Zürich. Urban Studies 58(4): 2991-3008.
– Blog post De Facto [in German]

Kaufmann, David. 2021. Debating responsibility-sharing: An analysis of the European Parliament’s debates on the Common European Asylum System. European Policy Analysis 7(1): 207-225.

Kaufmann, David and Mara Sidney. 2020. Toward an urban policy analysis: Incorporating participation, multilevel governance, and ‘seeing like a city, PS: Political Science & Politics 53(1): 1-5.

Sager, Fritz, Céline Mavrot, Markus Hinterleitner, David Kaufmann, Martin Grosjean and Thomas Stocker. 2020. Utilization-focused scientific policy advice: A six-point checklist, Climate Policy 20(10): 1336-1343.
– Blog post Climate Policy Blog

Lutz, Philipp, David Kaufmann and Anna Stünzi. 2020. Humanitarian protection as a European public good: The strategic role of states and refugees, Journal of Common Market Studies 58(3): 757–775.
– Blog post The JCMS Blog

Kaufmann, David, Johanna Künzler and Fritz Sager. 2020. How (Not) to Design and Implement a Large-Scale, Interdisciplinary Research Infrastructure. Science and Public Policy 47(6): 818-828.
– Blog post De Facto [in German]
– Commentary in Research Europe [paywall]

Kaufmann, David. 2020. Capital cities in interurban competition: Local autonomy, urban governance and locational-policy making, Urban Affairs Review 56(4): 1168–1205.
– Blog post Urban Affairs Forum

Kaufmann, David and Stefan Wittwer. 2019. Business centre or bedroom community? The development of employment in small and medium-sized towns, Regional Studies 53(10): 1483-1493.

Kaufmann, David. 2019. Comparing urban citizenship, sanctuary cities, local bureaucratic membership, and regularizations, Public Administration Review 79(3): 443–446.

Kaufmann, David and Fritz Sager. 2019. How to organize secondary capital city regions: Institutional drivers of locational policy coordination, Governance 32(1): 63–81.
– Winner of the Best Comparative Policy Paper Award (JCPA and ICPA)

Kaufmann, David and Rahel Meili. 2019. Leaves in the wind? Local policies of small and medium- sized towns in metropolitan regions, European Planning Studies 27(1): 21-41.

Bernhard, Laurent and David Kaufmann. 2018. Coping with the asylum challenge: Tightening and streamlining policies in Western Europe, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 44(15): 2506–2523.

Kaufmann, David and Tobias Arnold. 2018. Strategies of cities in globalized interurban competition: the locational policies framework, Urban Studies 55: 2703–2720.
– Blog post Urban Studies Blog

Kaufmann, David, Martin Warland, Heike Mayer and Fritz Sager. 2016. Bern’s positioning strategy: Escaping the fate of a secondary capital city?, Cities 53: 206–215

Mayer, Heike, Fritz Sager, David Kaufmann and Martin Warland. 2016. Capital city dynamics: Linking regional innovation systems, locational policies and policy regimes, Cities 51: 11–20.

Book chapters

Kaufmann, David, and Mara Sidney. 2024. Urban Policy Process and Policy Analysis. In Ronald K. Vogel (ed.) Handbook of Urban Politics and Policy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Sager, Fritz und David Kaufmann. 2023. Infrastructure Policy: Transport and Energy. In: Patrick Emmenegger, Flavia Fossati, Silja Häusermann, Papadopoulos, Yannis, Pascal Sciarini, and Adrian Vatter (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Swiss Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Kaufmann, David, and Stefan Wittwer. 2022 Public policy and small and medium-sized towns. In: Mayer, Heike and Michela Lazzeroni (eds.) A Research Agenda for Small and Medium-Sized Towns. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar: 163-178.
***Open Access***

Sager, Fritz und David Kaufmann. 2022. Infrastrukturpolitik: Verkehr, Energie und Telekommunikation. In: Papadopoulos, Yannis, Pascal Sciarini, Adrian Vatter, Silja Häusermann, Patrick Emmenegger, und Flavia Fossati (Eds.) Handbuch der Schweizer Politik / Manuel Politique de la Suisse (Edition 7). Zürich: NZZ Libro: 757-784.

Sager, Fritz; Kaufmann, David; Hornung, Johanna. 2022. Infrastrukturpolitik. In: Wenzelburger, Georg; Zohlnhöfer, Reimut (Eds.) Handbuch Policy-Forschung (S. 1-26). Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

Mayer, Heike, Rahel Meili and David Kaufmann. 2021. ”Small and Medium-Sized Towns as Secondary Cities: The Case of Switzerland” In: Pendras, Mark and Charles Williams (eds.) Secondary Cities: Exploring Uneven Development in Dynamic Urban Regions. Bristol University Press: 55-78.

Bernhard, Laurent and David Kaufmann. 2020. ”Die Rolle des Missbrauchsarguments im Rahmen von Abstimmungskampagnen: Eine empirische Analyse zu drei Referenden gegen Änderungen des Asylgesetztes”. In: Anne-Cécile Leyvraz, Raphaël Rey, Damian Rosset and Robin Stünzi (eds.) Asyl und Missbrauch: Multidisziplinäre Perspektiven auf einen vorherrschenden Diskurs. Zürich: Seismo Verlag.
***Open Access***

Kaufmann, David and Philipp Lutz. 2017. ”Vision Migrationsland Schweiz”. In: Lutz, Philipp (ed.)
Neuland. Zürich: NZZ Libro: 71-131 [in German].

Schlegel, Stefan, Philipp Lutz and David Kaufmann. 2016. ”Migration mit einer Gebühr schrittweise liberalisieren”. In: Abbt, Christine und Johan Rochel (eds.) Migrationsland Schweiz:
15 Vorschläge für die Zukunft. Baden: Hier und Jetzt: 149-162 [in German].

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Teaching

Master and Bachelor courses

• 2021-ongoing: „Urban Planning and Urban Policies“, ETH Zürich, MSc course.
• 2020-ongoing: „Spatial Planning and Development“, ETH Zürich, mandatory Msc course.
• 2020-ongoing: “Interdisciplinary Spatial Planning Project”, mandatory Msc course, co-teaching.

Continued Education

• 2025-ongoing: „Policy and Governance for the Just City“, ETH Zürich, Week course in CAS in Spatial Planning.
• 2021-ongoing: “Urban Sustainable Development”, ETH Zürich, half-day course in CAS Public Administration and Governance.
• 2021-ongoing: „Citizen and Stakeholder Participation in Policy-Making“, ETH Zürich, 4-day course in CAS Technology and Publicy Policy. Together with Prof. Dr. Michael Stauffacher.
• 2020-ongoing: „Local Government and Urban Policy“, University of Bern, half-day course in Executive Master of Public Administration.

Former courses

• 2020-2022: „Planning and Politics“, ETH Zürich, Week course in Master of Advanced Studies in Spatial Planning, together with Dr. Walter Schenkel.
• 2019-2021: “Sustainability in law and politics“, seminar for BA and MA students, together with Dr. Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi
• 2019: “Migration policies”, seminar for MA students
• 2014-2018: “Urban politics, urban policies, and metropolitan governance”, seminar for M.A. students. Together with Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager (2014-2017) and alone in 2018.

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Research Grants & Policy Advice

I conducted a variety of third-party-funded research projects.

Principal investigator or Co-Principal investigator (selected projects)

• 2025-2029: Swiss National Science Foundation NRP81 “Baukultur. For an ecological and social transition of the built environmentCovid-19 in Society” project “, Project: Beyond Replacement Construction: Implementing the Socio-Ecological Transformation of the Swiss Built Environment. Role: Principal investigator
• 2023-2027: Swiss National Science Foundation research project. “The Responsible City: Swiss Responses to Housing in Socio-ecological Crises”. Role: Co-Principal investigator. https://responsible.city/
• 2023-2026: Swiss National Science Foundation SPIRIT grant “Sustainable Housing in Urban Humanitarian Crises”, Role: Principal investigator.
• 2023-2025: Swiss Federal Office for Housing, Research project “Bauaktivitäten und Verdrängung in der Schweiz.” Role: Principal investigator.
• 2023-2025: Swiss National Science Foundation NRP80 “Covid-19 in Society”. Project The COVID-19 Pandemic and its Implications for Urban Essential Workers, Role: Principal investigator.
• 2022-2024: ETH4D Humanitarian Action Challenge, joint initative of EPFL, ETH Zurich and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Project: Building Resilience in Health Infrastructure. Role: Co-Principal investigator.
• 2022-2025: ETHZ D-BAUG lighthouse project. “E-bike City”. Role: Co-Principal investigator.
• 2021-ongoing: Swiss Development Cooperation (DEZA) and UNHCR. Project: Consultancy for the Geneva Technical Hub, Hazard mapping and mitigation in refugee camps. Role: Principal investigator.
• 2021-2025: Swiss National Science Foundation. Project: Densifying Switzerland: Exploring the Acceptance and Support of Densification Projects in Swiss Cities. Role: Principal investigator.
• 2021-2024: Future City Laboratory, ETH Zürich. Project: Dense and Green Cities. Role: Co-Principal investigator.
• 2020-2022: Swiss Federal Railways. Project: Co-Creating Mobility Hubs. Role: Co-Principal investigator.
• 2020: City of Zürich. Report: Rolle der Stadt Zürich als politische Akteurin in der nachhaltigen Entwicklung. Role: Principal investigator.

Former projets as involved researcher

• 2016-2019: Swiss National Science Foundation. Urban prosperity beyond the metropolis: Analyzing small and medium-sized towns in Switzerland, grant number 159324. Project leaders: Heike Mayer and Fritz Sager.
• 2013-2019: Swiss National Science Foundation. Capital City Dynamics: A Comparative Analysis of Innovation and Positioning of Secondary Capital City Regions, grant number 143784. Project leaders: Heike Mayer and Fritz Sager.
• 2016-2019: Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Task within the recruitment procedure for Swiss Diplomates (Concours)
• 2018: Municpality Wohlen bei Bern. “Überprüfung und Anpassung der Verwaltungsstrukturen der Gemeinde Wohlen bei Bern”
• 2017: Swiss Science and Innovation Council. “Wirkungsprüfung SystemsX.ch und die Dateninfrastruktur”
• 2017: Association Bern NEU Gründen. “Verwaltungsorganisation und politische Partizipation in einer fusionierten Grossstadt Bern”
• 2013: Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. “Drug shortages in Switzerland: A literature review”

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Bio & CV

Bio

David Kaufmann is Assistant Professor of Spatial Development and Urban Policy at ETH Zürich. He serves as the Deputy Director of the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development and as the Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal disP – The Planning Review. His research examines the intersections of public policy, urban studies, planning and migration studies.

David Kaufmann studied political science at the University of Zürich and the University of Lund. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Bern in December 2016. He was guest researcher at Leiden University, Virginia Tech, University of Ottawa, and University of Toronto.

David Kaufmann is the co-editor of the book Global Urban Policy (2026, University of Michigan Press), the author of Varieties of Capital Cities (2018, Edward Elgar), and the co-author of the book The Political Economy of Capital Cities (2018, Routledge). His work has been published in leading international journals such as PNAS, Nature Sustainability, Urban Studies, Planning Theory, Journal of the American Planning Association, British Journal of Political Science, and Governance.  

David Kaufmann received the 2018 Carl-Goerdeler-Preis for the best Ph.D thesis about local politics or local administration in business and social sciences in German-speaking countries and the 2020 Clarence Stone Scholar Award as well as the 2017 Susan Clarke Young Scholars’ Award both awarded by the American Political Science Association section Urban and Local Politics. He also received the 2021 Best Paper in Urban or Regional Politics (together with Dr. Raffaele Bazurli), awarded by Urban Affairs Review and the American Political Science Association section “Urban and Local Politics” and the 2017 Best Comparative Policy Paper Award (together with Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager) awarded by the journal JCPA and the „IPSA Research Committee on Comparative Studies on Local Governments and Politics”.

He is part of the editorial board of the journal Urban Affairs Review and in the Executive Council of the American Political Science Association section Urban and Local Politics (2020-2022). In addition, he is co-convenor of the Swiss Political Science Association working group Federalism and Territorial Politics and Beiratsmitglied der Langfristige Raumentwicklungsstrategie Kanton Zürich. At ETH Zürich, he is a member of the Network City and Landscape, the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy, the Center for Comparative and International Studies, and ETH for Development (ETH4D).

Academic positions

• 2019 – ongoing: Assistant Professor, ETH Zürich
• 2019- ongoing: Deputy Director, Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development, ETH Zürich
• 2023-2025: Director, Network City and Landscape, ETH Zürich
• 2021-2023: Deputy Director, Network City and Landscape, ETH Zürich
• 2017 – 2019: University of Bern, Postdoctoral Researcher
  • 06-07/2019: University of Toronto, School of Cities, Visiting Fellowship
• 2013-2016: University of Bern, Research and Teaching Assistant
  • 03-05/2015: Ottawa University, Guest Researcher
  • 12/2014-02/2015: Virginia Tech, Guest Researcher
  • 09-11/2014: Leiden University, Guest Researcher

Education

• 2016: Ph.D. University of Bern (December 2016)
• 2012: M.A. University of Zürich
• 2010: B.A. University of Zürich
  • 2008-2009: University of Lund, Erasmus exchange year (two terms)
• 2006: Higher education entrance qualification for adults (Passarelle)
• 2004: Commercial Apprenticeship with Professional Maturity (Kaufmännische Lehre)

Awards

• 2021: Best Paper in Urban or Regional Politics (together with Dr. Raffaele Bazurli), presented at the 2021 American Political Science Association conference, awarded by Urban Affairs Review and the American Political Science Association section “Urban and Local Politics”
• 2020: Clarence Stone Scholar Award, awarded by the American Political Science Association section “Urban and Local Politics”.
• 2018: Kommunalwissenschaftlicher Preis der Carl und Anneliese Goerdeler-Stiftung, best Ph.D. thesis about local affairs in business, social science, philosophy or law in German-speaking countries.
• 2017: Susan Clarke Young Scholars’ Award, awarded by the American Political Science Association section “Urban and Local Politics”.
• 2017: Best Comparative Policy Paper Award (together with Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager), awarded by the “Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis” and the “International Political Science Association Research Committee on Comparative Studies on Local Governments and Politics”.

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Contact

Prof. Dr. David Kaufmann
ETH Zürich
Spatial Development and Urban Policy (SPUR)
Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development (IRL)
HIL H 29.3, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5
8093 Zürich, Switzerland
phone: +41 44 633 94 84
kadavid@ethz.ch