Schwamendingen, located in the north-east of the city of Zürich, was much more rural when Max Munz was born. Where there are houses and sport fields now, there were marshlands which were difficult to cultivate, which is why they where turned into houses in the 50ies. In the first part of the 20th century, there was no tram line or train station. Only the bus connected Schwamendingen with the city center.

The neighbourhood was much smaller. It had hills, that weren’t overbuilt and swampy fields that had tob e drained to use them for agriculture.

Cooperatives and private people built houses and neighborhoods and the population increased. The agricultural areas decreased in size.
Max Munz used to go sleging in the winter, when the hills weren’t overbuilt jet. He also occasionally used to visit the city library, which took quite some time because the public transport connection wasn’ direct. He had to change from bus to tram at Milchbuck. He still lives in Schwamendingen.

The process of urbanization is not slowing down at the moment in Schwamendingen, which is why I think it will go on in the future. But it is not a bad development because it bundles people and infrastructure close together, which makes it more efficiant.