Overview
The Federal Council launched the programme in 1987 by request of the Swiss city union and agents of the public transport enterprises. Its intention was to realise the aim of the Federal council of qualitative growth of densely populated areas.
The NRP 'Cities and Transport' was concerned mainly with the dynamics of urban regions, aiming at
- promoting the quality of life and the protection of the natural environment
- guaranteeing the viability of the agglomerations within a national and an international framework
- managing the problems posed by spatial mobility, while taking into account the ecological, economic and social demands of the future.
The Division IV of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation was concerned with the approval of the projects and a general supervision of all national research programmes.
A group of about 12 experts under the presidency of Prof. René L. Frey acted as the scientific conscience of the programme.
The programme was directed by the programme manager, Peter Güller, an architect and partner at the consulting company Synergo. Tasks of the programme manager were the scientific secretariat, the direction and execution of the programme, and the synthesis of the programme.
Funding
The Swiss National Science Foundation supported the NRP 25 with 12 million Swiss francs.
Third parties co-funding reached about 1 million Swiss francs (especially by the Federal administration, cantons, cities, transport companies).