Canton of Basel-Stadt: observed built density
Canton · 3 municipalities with parcel data · Parcel data as of July 2025
- Parcels
- 22’358
1 % of Switzerland
- Municipal zones
- 72
- Median utilization
- 99 %
Switzerland: 10 %
- Median GFZ
- 1.35
Switzerland: 0.09
- Median height
- 14.6 m
Switzerland: 9.5 m
- Median floors
- 3.3
Switzerland: 2.3
About Canton of Basel-Stadt
The parcel data covers 3 municipalities of the canton of Basel-Stadt: 22’358 parcels in 72 municipal zone records. The municipalities with the most parcels are Basel, Riehen and Bettingen.
The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 99 %; half of the parcels lie between 66 % and 138 %. The Swiss median is 10 %, so Basel-Stadt sits above it.
The median building height is 14.6 m at 3.3 floors, and the median floor-area ratio (GFZ) is 1.35. Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 114 % (903 parcels), lower than the 127 % across all building years.
Parcels by municipal zone
| Zone | Parcels | Median utilization |
|---|---|---|
| Schonzone ohne Arbeitsgeschoss | 1’707 | 116 % |
| Zone 2A ohne Arbeitsgeschoss | 1’688 | 81 % |
| Schutzzone ohne Arbeitsgeschoss | 1’557 | 367 % |
| Zone 5A mit Arbeitsgeschoss | 1’485 | 107 % |
| Bauzone 2A innerhalb Siedlungsgebiet | 1’453 | 85 % |
| Zone 2 ohne Arbeitsgeschoss | 1’418 | 103 % |
| Zone 4 ohne Arbeitsgeschoss | 1’143 | 96 % |
| Zone 4 mit Arbeitsgeschoss | 1’051 | 109 % |
| Bauzone 2R innerhalb Siedlungsgebiet | 1’034 | 80 % |
| Schutzzone Innenstadt | 1’005 | 132 % |
| Zone 3 ohne Arbeitsgeschoss | 970 | 77 % |
| Schonzone mit Arbeitsgeschoss | 903 | 119 % |
| Other zones (51) | 6’944 | - |
Zone labels are municipal spellings, so one zone type can appear under several names.
Volume utilization (ratioV)
Of the 22’186 parcels with a value, half lie between 66 % and 138 %. The median is 99 % and the mean 123 %.
Share of parcels by range
- below 50 %16 %
- 50 % to below 100 %34 %
- 100 % to below 150 %29 %
- 150 % and above20 %
Floor-area ratio (GFZ)
Of the 22’185 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.63 and 2.55. The median is 1.35 and the mean 1.69.
Share of parcels by range
- below 0.5020 %
- 0.50 to below 1.0019 %
- 1.00 to below 1.5015 %
- 1.50 and above46 %
Building height
Of the 19’775 parcels with a value, half lie between 11.2 m and 18.7 m. The median is 14.6 m and the mean 15.0 m.
Share of parcels by range
- below 8 m6 %
- 8 m to below 12 m25 %
- 12 m to below 20 m53 %
- 20 m and above16 %
Number of floors
Of the 19’594 parcels with a value, half lie between 2.5 and 4.8. The median is 3.3 and the mean 3.6.
Share of parcels by range
- below 211 %
- 2 to below 314 %
- 3 to below 545 %
- 5 and above30 %
Building age cohorts
Mean volume utilization of the parcels built inside each window, from all years on record down to the last five. The windows overlap: the last 20 years include the last 5.
| Built in | Parcels | Mean utilization |
|---|---|---|
| All years | 22’358 | 127 % |
| Last 60 years | 4’594 | 130 % |
| Last 40 years | 2’121 | 111 % |
| Last 20 years | 903 | 114 % |
| Last 15 years | 648 | 120 % |
| Last 10 years | 477 | 118 % |
| Last 5 years | 217 | 126 % |
Municipalities of the canton of Basel-Stadt
How to read this page
room shows observed built density: what has been built on the parcels, not what the zoning permits. Volume utilization (ratioV) compares the built volume of a parcel with the reference volume of its municipal zone type. The floor-area ratio (GFZ) is floor area divided by parcel area; building height and number of floors are taken from the buildings on a parcel. Figures pool all municipal zones of the area. Medians and quartiles are read from bins 10 points (ratioV), 0.1 (GFZ), 2 m (height) and 1 floor wide, so they are exact to within one bin; means are exact. A parcel counts in a distribution only when the parcel data has a value for it. The floors distribution leaves out parcels without a building (0 floors).