Vera Götze

Urban researcher · Postdoctoral Scholar, UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy

veragoetze@ucla.edu
Los Angeles, California
orcid.org/0000-0003-2633-5303
Download PDF

Experience

  1. 2025–
    Postdoctoral Scholar, UCLA Luskin School of Public PolicyLewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, Los Angeles. Principal investigator of the SNSF-funded project Institutional Influences on Upzoning Efficiency: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Population Density Gain.
  2. 2024–25
    Postdoctoral Researcher, IGN France · Visiting Scholar, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamComparative study of redevelopment patterns and regulatory frameworks across France, Germany and England.
  3. 2020–24
    Doctoral Researcher, University of BernInstitute of Geography. Densification patterns and land-policy effects in Utrecht and Bern.
  4. 2020–21
    Illustrator, MUST Urban Design, Amsterdam

Education

  1. 2024
    Ph.D., Human Geography, University of BernCapturing land policy effects with spatial analysis: a comparison of densification patterns in Utrecht and Bern
  2. 2020
    M.Sc., Spatial Planning, Wageningen University
  3. 2018
    B.Sc., Urban, Energy and Environmental Planning, Aalborg University Copenhagen

Publications

  1. 2026
    Jehling, M., Götze, V., Raimbault, J., Perret, J., Olteanu‑Raimond, A.‑M., Dembski, S., Hartmann, T., & Ehrhardt, D. Densification in European city-regions: From observed patterns to actors and policy constellations. Landscape and Urban Planning, 272, 105646.
  2. 2026
    Monkkonen, P., Marantz, N., & Götze, V. What do standard measures of rental affordability reveal? A longitudinal analysis from 1960–2024. Working paper, SSRN.
  3. 2025
    Gerber, J.-D., Ay, D., Bouwmeester, J., Götze, V., Hartmann, T., Jehling, M., Nahrath, S., & Verheij, J. Why urban densification ignores the social dimension of sustainability. Urban Studies (online first).
  4. 2025
    Ay, D., & Götze, V. Housing for “ageing in place”: Urban densification projects and the provision of age-appropriate housing in Switzerland. Cities, 167, 106304.
  5. 2025
    Büchler, S., Götze, V., Hauck, L., & Stalder, N. The amplifying effect of spatial planning restrictions on house prices and rents. Journal of Housing Economics, 69, 102085.
  6. 2024
    Götze, V., Gerber, J.-D., & Jehling, M. Mapping municipal land policies: Applications of flexible zoning for densification. Buildings & Cities, 5(1).
  7. 2024
    Götze, V., Bouwmeester, J., & Jehling, M. For whom do we densify? Explaining income variation across densification projects in the region of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Urban Studies, 61(7), 1273–1290.
  8. 2024
    Götze, V. Capturing land policy effects with spatial analysis: A comparison of densification patterns in Utrecht and Bern. PhD dissertation, University of Bern.
  9. 2023
    Hengstermann, A., & Götze, V. Planning-related land value changes for explaining instruments of compensation and value capture in Switzerland. Land Use Policy, 132, 106826.
  10. 2023
    Götze, V., & Jehling, M. Comparing types and patterns: A context-oriented approach to densification in Switzerland and the Netherlands. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 50(6), 1645–1659.
  11. 2023
    Verheij, J., & Götze, V. Yearly conference of the International Academic Association on Planning, Law, and Property Rights (PLPR), Ann Arbor, 1–5 May 2023. Town Planning Review, 95(1), 109–112 (conference report).
  12. 2021
    Götze, V., & Hartmann, T. Why municipalities grow: The influence of fiscal incentives on municipal land policies in Germany and the Netherlands. Land Use Policy, 109, 105681.

Grants & awards

  1. 2025–27
    Swiss National Science Foundation grant, principal investigatorInstitutional Influences on Upzoning Efficiency
  2. 2022
    Excellent Video award, Buildings & Cities PhD Video ChallengeWhy It Matters: Comparing Patterns of Densification

Teaching

  1. 2020–24
    University of BernDesigned and led a ten-day field course in Copenhagen for master’s students; weekly tutorials for 120 bachelor’s students; thesis supervision.
  2. Course developmentSyllabus on land-policy instruments; spatial and quantitative analysis; urban data science.

Service & languages

  1. ServiceGuest reviewer for international journals; organizer and mentor of two PhD workshops at international conferences; doctoral representation and faculty review committee, University of Bern; reviewer of the Swiss high-school geography textbook.
  2. LanguagesEnglish, German, Danish, Dutch (fluent); French, Russian (conversational).