Exploring Urban Sufficiency: SIL Participates in Climate Week Zurich Event at Empa
During Climate Week Zurich, SIL and partners gathered at Empa’s Akademie to discuss the concept of urban sufficiency, exploring how shifting from quantitative to qualitative growth can support sustainable and equitable cities.
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Recently, as part of Climate Week Zurich, an afternoon and evening event was held at Empa’s Akademie in Dübendorf to examine the practical application of urban sufficiency. The sessions aimed to address the gap between the conceptual understanding of sufficiency and its implementation in urban environments.
Participants from across various sectors gathered to explore how cities can prioritize quality over quantity. The central theme of the discussion was redefining prosperity and growth. Rather than viewing sufficiency as a framework of sacrifice or limitation, the dialogue focused on shifting toward qualitative outcomes: prioritizing well-being over excess, quality of life over consumption, and community over isolation.
The event program included a dialogue circle, a future-making workshop, and a guided tour of Empa’s NEST innovation building, led by Reto Largo. Through these activities, attendees analyzed how everyday practices, systemic rules, and societal values must adapt to maintain livable cities within planetary boundaries.
The event was a collaborative effort involving SIL team members Maximilian Palmié and Monica Barroso. The program was co-created and moderated by Mashael Yazdanie, with organizational support from Manon Ratinaud and Heidi Bonde Nielsen.
Key insights during the dialogue circle were provided by Anna Sophia Burch (Circular Lab), Jakob Kisker (Stadt Zürich), Marcel Hänggi (Schweizerische Energie-Stiftung), and Léo Gilliard (One Planet Lab Schweiz). The event was made possible through the support of the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory, Georgios Mavromatidis, the World Sufficiency Lab, and Climate Week Zurich.
