Lugano: observed built density
Municipality in the canton of Ticino · FSO no. 5192 · Parcel data as of July 2025
The parcel data covers only part of the land in the canton of Ticino, so figures here may be incomplete.
- Parcels
- 13’526
9 % of the canton
- Municipal zones
- 170
- Median utilization
- 9 %
Canton: 10 %
Switzerland: 10 %
- Median GFZ
- 0.09
Canton: 0.09
Switzerland: 0.09
- Median height
- 8.7 m
Canton: 8.7 m
Switzerland: 9.5 m
- Median floors
- 2.0
Canton: 1.9
Switzerland: 2.3
About Lugano
Lugano is a municipality in the canton of Ticino. The parcel data lists 13’526 parcels in 170 municipal zone types. The zone types with the most parcels are Zona forestale (1’854), Area forestale (1’749) and Zona agricola (1’491).
The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 9 %; half of the parcels lie between 5 % and 86 %. The canton median is 10 %, close to the level of Lugano.
The median building height is 8.7 m at 2.0 floors, and the median floor-area ratio (GFZ) is 0.09. Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 113 % (596 parcels), higher than the 73 % across all building years.
Parcels by municipal zone
| Zone | Parcels | Median utilization |
|---|---|---|
| Zona forestale | 1’854 | 0 % |
| Area forestale | 1’749 | 0 % |
| Zona agricola | 1’491 | 0 % |
| Vuoto Pianificatorio | 1’362 | - |
| Zona residenziale semi estensiva | 544 | 77 % |
| Zona del nucleo tradizionale NV | 497 | 71 % |
| Zona nucleo tradizionale | 497 | 59 % |
| Zona residenziale estensiva - R2A | 390 | 80 % |
| R2se Zona Residenziale semi-estensiva | 379 | 92 % |
| Zona residenziale R3 | 284 | 75 % |
| Zona residenziale | 256 | 72 % |
| Zona residenziale molto estensiva - R2B | 223 | 85 % |
| Other zones (156) | 4’000 | - |
Volume utilization (ratioV)
Of the 13’346 parcels with a value, half lie between 5 % and 86 %. The median is 9 % and the mean 64 %.
Share of parcels by range
- below 50 %63 %
- 50 % to below 100 %16 %
- 100 % to below 150 %10 %
- 150 % and above10 %
Floor-area ratio (GFZ)
Of the 13’346 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.04 and 0.54. The median is 0.09 and the mean 0.43.
Share of parcels by range
- below 0.5073 %
- 0.50 to below 1.0014 %
- 1.00 to below 1.504 %
- 1.50 and above9 %
Building height
Of the 6’149 parcels with a value, half lie between 6.9 m and 10.9 m. The median is 8.7 m and the mean 9.1 m.
Share of parcels by range
- below 8 m41 %
- 8 m to below 12 m45 %
- 12 m to below 20 m14 %
- 20 m and above1 %
Number of floors
Of the 6’261 parcels with a value, half lie between 1.5 and 2.5. The median is 2.0 and the mean 2.1.
Share of parcels by range
- below 224 %
- 2 to below 351 %
- 3 to below 524 %
- 5 and above1 %
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 | 13’526 | 73 % |
| Last 60 years | 2’999 | 105 % |
| Last 40 years | 1’856 | 106 % |
| Last 20 years | 596 | 113 % |
| Last 15 years | 350 | 117 % |
| Last 10 years | 176 | 111 % |
| Last 5 years | 57 | 103 % |
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).