Prof. h.c. Dr. Anna Hersperger

Function

Groupleader, Member of Directors Board

Land Change Science

Land-use systems

Contact

anna.hersperger(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 25 15+41 44 739 25 15

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi HL E 37

Research Interests

Digital transformation of planning.
Spatial planning and landscape planning: instruments and processes.
Land-use conflicts and conflicting landscape services.
Driving forces and actors of land change and urbanisation.
Sprawl.
Multifunctional periurban landscapes.
Spatial adjacencies and interactions in spatial planning.

Education

PhD	Harvard University, USA	2000
Master of Environmental Planning	Arizona State University, USA	1994
Dipl. Kulturingenieurin ETH	ETH Zürich	1989

Scientific and Practical Career

Member of Directors Board, WSL	2019 - present
Group leader Landscape Ecology Group, WSL	2011 - present
Awarded honorary professorship at the University of Bucharest	05.09.2019
Group leader Landscape Management, WSL	2006 - 2010
Researcher at the WSL	2002 - 2006
Post Doc at the Department of Environmental Sciences, ETH Zürich	2001 - 2002
Researcher at the NSL (formerly ORL Institute), ETH Zürich	1994 - 1995
Researcher at the NSL (formerly ORL Institute), ETH Zürich	1991 - 1992
Engineer at Emch & Berger AG Aarau, Aarau, Ingenieure & Planer	1989 - 1991

Further Information

Projects

Reallabor Jurapark

Forschende des ETH-Bereichs bauen gemeinsam mit Akteuren des Juraparks Aargau ein Reallabor der nachhaltigen Entwicklung auf. Zu verschiedenen Themen werden konkrete Projekte lanciert und umgesetzt.

Further Development of Land-use Planning in the Age of Digitalisation "SILAR"

In times of advancing digitization, this hinders progress by preventing systematic standardizations of land-use regulations. These are necessary for integrating land-use planning into simulations of land-use change for larger regions and, thus, overcoming the drawbacks of using traditional 2-D land-use plans to regulate the three-dimensional built environment.

Soil protection in road projects

The project assesses the impacts of national road construction projects on soils, evaluates best-practice examples of mitigation measures, and develops soil protection strategies for road projects in cooperation with the stakeholders.

Biodiversity policy evaluation

This project is motivated by the repeated statement of OECD that biodiversity policy is a weak point in Swiss environmental policy. We will use up-front text retrieval methods to evaluate implementation of biodiversity-related policies in Switzerland.

Evaluating Spatial Planning Practices with Digital Plan Data

In DIGIPLAN we will analyze and compare the digitization of planning data in European countries, including the scope, organization, financing as well as the current and potential future uses of digital planning.

MOOC Landscape Ecology

This is the first comprehensive, interactive MOOC in Landscape Ecology. The core principles of Landscape Ecology are taught through video lectures, quizzes and interactive simulations. In Applied Case Studies leading experts from different continents give the students a global learning experience.

Tools for integrating planning in land change models

The overall objective of this project is to reduce the technical gap between spatial planning and land change science. Specifically, this project aims to develop tools and methods to translate data and features from strategic spatial planning into inputs for land change models. We focus on two obser

Assessment of strategic spatial plan making and plan implementation processes

The overall objective of this project is to develop an analytical framework grounded in an analysis of strategic spatial planning processes, i.e. plan making and plan implementation. Cities worldwide are increasingly engaging in strategic spatial planning processes to address economic, social and en

Evaluation of strategic spatial plans

The overall objective of this project is to contribute to the scholarship on plan evaluation. Current evaluation studies focus on plan performance and planning process performance, rather than actual material outcomes that are of pertinent interest to land-change science. Specifically, the project r

CONCUR - From Plan to land change

The project will analyze and clarify how planning and policy affect land change in urban regions. Whereas planning has a long tradition as a means to guiding spatial development, planning is only rudimentarily considered in land-change science. We will develop a theoretical model and then assess its applicability for land change modelling in the test regions of Zurich, Bucharest, and Austin, TX.

Future prospects for renewable energy

The production of renewable energy is a landscape service of growing importance and great political relevance. However, the expansion of renewable energies is causing various conflicts with competing landscape services.

NFP 68: Controlling urban sprawl to limit soil consumption (SPROIL)

The project aims at examining the political, planning and socio-economic factors, the so-called drivers, which have been determining urban sprawl since the 1950s. The identified drivers will be used in spatially explicit predictive models.

Local Growth Management

The implementation of local growth management measures seems to have reached its limits. Recent popular referendums at the national and cantonal levels have demonstrated the need for countermeasures.

Landnutzungskonflikte - ein Vergleich von Fällen in der Schweiz und in Rumänien

Das Projekt untersuchte, welche Faktoren zum erfolgreichen Lösen von Landnutzungskonflikten beitragen und wie sich die Konfliktlösung in der Schweiz von derjenigen in Rumänien unterscheidet.

Measuring and Limiting Urban Sprawl

The sprawling, contourless growth of settlements not only has negative ecological, economic and social effects, it also contradicts the principle of sustainability. There is therefore an urgent need for action.

Conflicting landscape services

The objective of this study was to create a methodological framework to detect geographical hot-spots of conflicting landscape services before they erupt into land use conflicts.

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Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Slave, A.R.; Iojă, I.; Hossu, C.; Grădinaru, S.R.; Petrișor, A.; Hersperger, A.M., 2023: Assessing public opinion using self-organizing maps. Lessons from urban planning in Romania. Landscape and Urban Planning, 231: 104641 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104641

He, Z.; Yu, Z.; Fürst, C.; Hersperger, A.M., 2023: Peer effects drive non-conformance between built-up land expansion and zoning: evidence from Zhangzhou city, China. Applied Geography, 152: 102875 (12 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2023.102875

Domingo, D.; Van Vliet, J.; Hersperger, A.M., 2023: Long-term changes in 3D urban form in four Spanish cities. Landscape and Urban Planning, 230: 104624 (15 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104624

Pan, Y.; Hersperger, A.M.; Kienast, F.; Liao, Z.; Ge, G.; Nobis, M.P., 2022: Spatial and temporal scales of landscape structure affect the biodiversity-landscape relationship across ecologically distinct species groups. Landscape Ecology, 27: 2311-2325. doi: 10.1007/s10980-022-01477-x

Reber, U.; Fischer, M.; Ingold, K.; Kienast, F.; Hersperger, A.M.; Grütter, R.; Benz, R., 2022: Integrating biodiversity: a longitudinal and cross-sectoral analysis of Swiss politics. Policy Sciences, 55: 311-335. doi: 10.1007/s11077-022-09456-4

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Further scientific publications

Coleman Brantschen, E.; Hersperger, A.; Chopard, S., 2022: Raumplanung und Wald auf kommunaler Ebene: grosses Potenzial für Kooperation. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 173, 5: 218-221. doi: 10.3188/szf.2022.0218

Hersperger, A.M.; Tobias, S.; Thurnheer, C.; Fertner, Ch., 2022: Digitale Daten in der Raumplanung - eine europäische Perspektive. Geomatik Schweiz, Géomatique Suisse, Geomatica Svizzera, 120, 5-6: 102-104.

Fertner, C.; Folvig, S.; Christensen, A.A.; Grønning, M.; Galland, D.; Rutledal, B.; Le Diraison, M.; Hersperger, A.; Tobias, S.; Wittenwiler, C.; Grunfelder, J.; Cuadrado, A., 2022: Potential and challenges of digitisation in planning practice. Working paper. 23 p.

Oliveira, E.; Hersperger, A.M., 2021: Place branding as an instrument in strategic spatial planning: insights from urban regions in Western Europe and North America. In: Papadopoulos, N.; Cleveland, M. (eds), 2021: Marketing countries, places, and place-associated brands. Identity and image. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar. 265-281. doi: 10.4337/9781839107375.00027

Hersperger, A.M.; Fertner, C., 2021: Digital plans and plan data in planning support science. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 48, 2: 212-215. doi: 10.1177/2399808320983002

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Magazine article and brochures

Siedlungs- und Landschaftsentwicklung in agglomerationsnahen Räumen. Raumansprüche von Mensch und Natur

Das Schweizerische Raumplanungsgesetz verlangt von den Gemeinden ihre Siedlungsentwicklung einzuschränken bzw. nach innen zu richten. Das stellt die stark wachsenden Gemeinden um die Agglomerationen vor grosse Herausforderungen.

Merkblatt für die Praxis 56

2016

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Développement urbain et paysager dans les zones proches des agglomérations. Exigences spatiales de l'être humain et de la nature

Le développement urbain en Suisse n’inquiète pas seulement les urbanistes. La population dans son ensemble y voit également une menace pour le paysage, comme l’a montré la nette adoption de la révision de la loi sur l’aménagement du territoire lors de la votation populaire nationale de mars 2013.

Notice pour le praticien 56

2016

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Camenzind, P.; Rudolf, S.; Hersperger, A.; Berli, J.; Schulz, T., 2015: Besichtigung einer Baustelle mit vielen Bauherren. Schweizer Gemeinde, 9-11.

Hersperger, A.; Segura Moran, L.; Kienast, F., 2014: Nationale Planung: Räumliche Modelle für die Schweiz. Hotspot, 16-17.

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Other publications

Earlier Publications

Hersperger, Anna M. 2002. Natur und Landschaft im Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden. In: Landschaftsnutzung für die Zukunft - Der Fall Appenzell Ausserrhoden, R. W. Scholz, M. Stauffacher, S. Bösch and A. Wiek, eds., pp. 149-201. Rüegger Verlag, Zurich.

Forman, Richard T. T., Björn Reineking, und Anna M. Hersperger. 2002. Road traffic and nearby grassland bird patterns in a suburbanizing landscape. Environmental Management 29(6): 782-800.

Yovel, Ephrat, and Anna M. Hersperger. 2002. Reasonable illusions: participatory planning and protected areas. In: Monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas, A. Arnberger, C. Brandenburg, and A. Muhar, eds., pp.412-416. Conference Proceedings. Bodenkultur University, Vienna.

Hersperger, Anna M. 2000. Adjacency effects in a landscape mosaic: plant evidence from Canada's aspen parkland. Dissertation. Harvard University: Cambridge. (Abstract)

Forman, Richard T. T., und Anna M. Hersperger. 1997. Ecologia del paesaggio e pianificazione: una potente combinazione. Urbanistica 108: 61-66.

Forman, Richard T. T., und Anna M. Hersperger. 1996. Road ecology and road density in different landscapes, with international planning and mitigation solutions. In Trends in addressing transportation related wildlife mortality, Gary L. Evink, Paul Garrett, David Zeigler, and Jon Berry, eds. FL-ER-58-96 State of Florida, Department of Transportation, Tallahassee.

Hersperger, Anna M. 1995. Ökologische Planung und Landschaftsökologie: Gedanken zur Weiterentwicklung der ökologisch orientierten Raumplanung. DISP 123: 10-19.

Schmid, Willy A., und Anna M. Hersperger. 1995. Ökologische Planung und Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfung (Lehrmittel). Verlag der Fachvereine, Zürich.

Hersperger, Anna M. 1994. Landscape ecology and its potential application to planning. Journal of Planning Literature 9(1): 14-29.

Hersperger, Anna M. 1994. The use of landscape ecology to create planning options for river corridor management. Master Thesis. Arizona State University: Tempe.

Hersperger, Anna M., und Frederick Steiner. 1994. How useful is landscape ecology for landscape planning? Landscape/Land Use Planning LaLUP 27: 10-14.

Beroggi, Giampiero E. G., und Anna M. Hersperger. 1993. Experimentelle Bewertung des optimalen Computereinsatzes bei der dynamischen Routenwahl im Gefahrenguttransport. Strasse und Verkehr 10: 550-557.

Beroggi, Giampiero E. G., Anna M. Hersperger, William A. Wallace, Matthias Wiedmer, und Martin B. Zumsteg. 1993. Operationelle Routenwahl im Gefahrenguttransport. Polyprojekt Risiko und Sicherheit, Dokumente Nr. 1. Verlag der Fachvereine, Zürich.

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Main menu

Main menu

Prof. h.c. Dr. Anna Hersperger

Research Interests

Education

Scientific and Practical Career

Further Information

Projects

Reallabor Jurapark

Further Development of Land-use Planning in the Age of Digitalisation "SILAR"

Soil protection in road projects

Biodiversity policy evaluation

Evaluating Spatial Planning Practices with Digital Plan Data

MOOC Landscape Ecology

Tools for integrating planning in land change models

Assessment of strategic spatial plan making and plan implementation processes

Evaluation of strategic spatial plans

CONCUR - From Plan to land change

Future prospects for renewable energy

NFP 68: Controlling urban sprawl to limit soil consumption (SPROIL)

Local Growth Management

Landnutzungskonflikte - ein Vergleich von Fällen in der Schweiz und in Rumänien

Measuring and Limiting Urban Sprawl

Conflicting landscape services

Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Further scientific publications

Magazine article and brochures

Other publications

Earlier Publications

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Main menu

Main menu

Prof. h.c. Dr. Anna Hersperger

Earlier Publications