2nd Zurich–Bern–Wisconsin Conference on Real Estate and Urban Economics 2026
Hosted by the University of Bern and co-organized by the Universities of Zurich and Wisconsin-Madison
Building on the success of last year's inaugural event, the Universities of Zurich, Bern, and Wisconsin–Madison jointly organized the 2nd Zurich–Bern–Wisconsin Conference on Real Estate and Urban Economics, hosted by the University of Bern.
This conference continues a planned annual series initiated by researchers from the Finance and Economics Departments at the University of Zurich and the Economics Department at the University of Bern, with the aim of highlighting outstanding research in real estate finance and urban economics while fostering meaningful interaction across these closely connected fields.
The involvement of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2026 conference further strengthens the initiative's international scope and academic exchange.
Program
The event brought together leading scholars and promising early-career researchers, offering an excellent platform for presenting theoretical and empirical work.
A dedicated session was reserved for PhD student submissions, underscoring the conference’s commitment to supporting emerging researchers and encouraging scholarly dialogue across career stages.
The program featured contributions on topics ranging from the global skyscraper revolution and structural density in homeownership, to rent control, energy prices, mortgage lock-in effects, and the role of bank regulation in affordable housing supply.
The keynote program featured two renowned speakers, Prof. Lu Han (University of Wisconsin–Madison) and Prof. Christian Hilber (London School of Economics, University of Zurich), who presented a talk on "Homeownership, Affordability, and Housing Policies".
- Date: 25 - 26 June 2026 (THU/FRI), 09:00 - 18:30 CET
- Location: University of Bern, Main Building, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Optional Excursion: Saturday, 27 June 2026 (Bernese Alps)
- Program: Download (PDF, 356 KB)
- Contact: realestate.workshop@df.uzh.ch
Voices
"The Real Estate and Urban Economics Conference provided an excellent forum for exchanging ideas on the future of real estate research. The high quality of the discussions and the collaborative atmosphere made it a truly valuable event."
–Prof. Francisco Amaral
"The conference brought together an outstanding group of researchers working at the frontier of real estate finance and urban economics. The breadth of topics, from housing affordability and supply to urban development and financial markets, combined with lively discussions and many informal exchanges made it an exceptionally stimulating and rewarding event."
–Prof. Christian Hilber
Scientific Committee:
- Francisco Amaral, University of Zurich (UZH)
- Maximilian von Ehrlich, University of Bern (UNIBE)
- Lu Han, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Christian Hilber, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University of Zurich (UZH)
- Olivier Schöni, University of Lausanne
| UZH Center for Urban & Real Estate Management (CUREM) | |
|
For more than 20 years, the Center for Urban & Real Estate Management (CUREM) at the University of Zurich has been supporting professionals and executives in actively shaping the future of the real estate industry and urban development. As a center of excellence, we combine academic excellence with practical expertise and provide access to one of the leading networks in the Swiss real estate industry. Website (in German): www.curem.uzh.ch/de.html |
|
-
-
2nd Zurich–Bern–Wisconsin Conference on Real Estate and Urban Economics 2026: Group Photo -
Scientific Committee: Francisco Amaral, University of Zurich (UZH), Lu Han, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Maximilian von Ehrlich, University of Bern (UNIBE), Olivier Schöni, University of Lausanne and Christian Hilber, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University of Zurich (UZH) -
University of Bern, Switzerland -
-
Y. Ji, "Bank Regulation and Affordable Housing Supply", Presented by Yuwen Ji (University of Wisconsin-Madison) -
-
A. Zhang, "Cities as Portfolios", Presented by Ailin Zhang (London School of Economics) -
-
Scientific Committee Member: Maximilian von Ehrlich, University of Bern (UNIBE) -
L. Hauck, N. Stalder, S. Büchler, and M. v. Ehrlich, "Incidence, Allocation, and Efficiency Costs of Tenancy Rent Control", Presented by Lukas Hauck (University of Bern) -
M. Giacoletti, M. Korevaar, and F. Qian, "How Housing Supply Expansions Reshape Cities", Presented by Matthijs Korevaar (Erasmus University) -
Keynote Lecture by Lu Han (University of Wisconsin-Madison) -
-
A. Grimaud, G. Ouasbaa, A. Solé-Ollé, and E. Viladecans, "Local Housing Supply Spillovers: Evidence from California", Presented by Albert Solé-Ollé (Universitat de Barcelona) -
C. A. L. Hilber and A. Mense, "Homeownership Across Europe and the Role of Structural Density", Presented by Andreas Mense (IAB) -
F. Robert-Nicoud, P.-P. Combes, G. Duranton, and L. Gobillon, "A Unified Urban Model With Non-Homothetic Housing Demand", Presented by Frederic Robert-Nicoud (Université de Genève) -
G. M. Ahlfeldt, N. Baum-Snow, and R. Jedwab, "The Skyscraper Revolution: Global Economic Development and Land Savings", Presented by Remi Jedwab (George Washington University) -
More Impressions -
More Impressions -
Excursion in the Bernese Alps on Saturday -
Impressions: Excursion in the Bernese Alps on Saturday