3 November 2025
The Swiss Federal Council has adopted the revised "Raumplanungsverordnung (RPV)". Changes are also underway in the Canton of Lucerne: the new cantonal structure plan ("Richtplan") has been made available for public review.
On 15 October 2025, the Swiss Federal Council adopted the revised "Raumplanungsverordnung (RPV)". This implements the second stage of the revision of the "Raumplanungsgesetzes (RPG 2)". The purpose of the amendments is to further restrict construction outside building zones and better protect the landscape.
In the future, the number of buildings and the sealed surface area outside building zones may increase by no more than two percent, based on the status as of 29 September 2023. Any exceedance of this maximum limit must be offset by demolishing existing structures or unsealing surfaces. This provision provides further clarity regarding the stabilization goal.
To promote this stabilization goal, a so-called demolition premium will be introduced. If an unused or disruptive building outside the building zone is demolished and the land restored, the owner will be reimbursed for the costs incurred.
A new approach known as the “area-based concept” is also being introduced. This voluntary planning instrument allows cantons to better respond to regional characteristics. They may deviate from federal regulations in certain areas if a comprehensive spatial plan exists, the concept is reflected in the cantonal structure plan, and any additional land use is compensated. For example, it could allow the conversion of vacant barns into residential space, provided this is compatible with the goals of spatial planning.
There are also new regulations for tourism operations: hotels outside building zones may in the future offer up to 120 beds, and restaurants up to 100 seats, provided this is operationally necessary. However, any additional areas created must be compensated. It is explicitly stated that agricultural use takes priority in agricultural zones.
Parts of the revised spatial planning legislation will enter into force on 1 January 2026, with further provisions taking effect on 1 July 2026. Thereafter, the cantons will have five years to incorporate the new federal requirements into their structure plans.
With the revised spatial planning legislation, the federal government has established new framework conditions for construction outside building zones. However, these federal requirements will only be incorporated into the cantonal structure plan of Lucerne at a later stage. The plan is to integrate them into the structure plan as part of a partial revision at the end of 2025.
For now, the draft of the cantonal structure plan, currently available for public review, addresses an urgent issue: current medium-term population forecasts assume that the population of Lucerne will grow by around 120,000 people by 2050. The structure plan aims to determine where residential and commercial areas should be developed across the canton to respond to population growth in an orderly, compact, and sustainable manner.
The focus is on the efficient use of land and strengthening inward development to preserve agricultural land. At the same time, selective expansion of building zones at suitable locations is planned, particularly for residential and commercial areas. Key instruments in the structure plan are the so-called “center zones,” which allow the development of central locations with high densification potential. Planned measures include higher building densities, targeted densification in areas well served by public transport, and the creation of affordable housing. In the area of commercial space, municipalities will be able to expand local employment zones to bring living and working spaces closer together.
In addition to urban development, the structure plan revision also considers overarching themes such as climate protection, aspects of energy production and distribution, and mobility development. For example, measures from the cantonal climate and energy report, as well as from the “Future Mobility Canton of Lucerne” project, are being integrated into planning.
Private individuals, municipalities, regional development bodies, political parties, associations and organizations, as well as neighbouring cantons, now have the opportunity to comment on the draft structure plan until 18 December 2025. The results of the public consultation will then be evaluated and the plan revised. The Cantonal Government aims to adopt the structure plan by summer 2026, after which it will be finalized by the Cantonal Parliament and subsequently reviewed by the Federal Council.
