ABSTRACT
Switzerland, long-term ground leases (GLs) has a long history in the management of farm land. Like farmland leases, ground leases are material rights, or rights in rem, which means that they exist independently of who the leaseholder is. The use of ground leases as an instrument to steer spatial development implies a close collaboration between landowners and planners. The land policy strategy of Zurich or Bienne cities allows a more effective implementation of land use plans than planning instruments alone without bearing the financial risk involved in directly participating in land development. Like in France, a Swiss ground lease is a time-limited property title whereby the landowner, whether public or private, transfers the development rights of a parcel to the owner of the building for a given period of time in exchange for annual rent payments. Land use planning takes place at the interface between property rights and public policy, the two major sources of formal legal constraints.
