Case study report - St Gallen

With a population of 83,803 in September 2025, St. Gallen is the eighth-largest city of Switzerland and the economic, political, social, and cultural hub of Eastern Switzerland. It is an urban centre in a region that is otherwise characterised by smaller settlements. Nestled in the valleys of the rivers Sitter and Steinach, the city's landscape is defined by its valley floors and surrounding slopes. The territory of the city of St.Gallen encompasses 39.4 km², of which around 50% is green space. In contrast to many other Swiss cities, St.Gallen’s population is only growing moderately with an increase of 4.8% over the last decade. In the same period the city of Zurich grew by 10.8%. St.Gallen is home to a diverse population, with non-Swiss nationals accounting for 34.2% of its inhabitants, the vast majority coming from Germany (5232), followed by Italians (2775), Kosovaris (1940) and Serbians (1342). The average age is 39.3 years, which is comparable to other Swiss cities. With a population density of 2,002 inhabitants per km² (total area of the city), St.Gallen is moderately dense in the Swiss context, with larger cities generally being denser – up to 13,100 inhabitants/km² in Geneva.