Methodology
Everything this portal calculates is explained here, with the actual figures. An indicator whose rule is hidden cannot be checked — and so cannot be trusted.
Our principles
- No data is invented. A value missing from the source stays missing: it is shown as "not available", never as 0, never as a plausible estimate.
- Every figure carries its source, its year and its true granularity. A cantonal rate shown on a municipal page is labelled as cantonal.
- A criterion with no data is excluded from the score, not counted as zero. Counting zero would penalise a place for a gap in measurement — that would mean inventing unfavourable information.
- The coverage rate always accompanies the score: a 78 computed on 40% of the weight is not the same as a 78 computed on all of it.
- The tables below are generated from the calculation code itself: they cannot diverge from what is actually applied.
Distance scale
Each amenity is scored from 0 to 100 by distance. Below the first threshold the score is full, above the second it is zero, with linear interpolation in between. The thresholds reflect real walking: 400 m ≈ 5 minutes, 1,200 m ≈ 15 minutes.
| Criterion | Full score | Zero score |
|---|---|---|
| Bakery | 400 m | 2000 m |
| Grocery shop | 400 m | 2000 m |
| Supermarket | 600 m | 3000 m |
| Hypermarket | 2000 m | 10000 m |
| Restaurant | 500 m | 3000 m |
| Pharmacy | 600 m | 3000 m |
| Doctor | 800 m | 5000 m |
| Dentist | 1000 m | 6000 m |
| Bank | 800 m | 5000 m |
| Primary school | 500 m | 2500 m |
| Secondary school | 1000 m | 6000 m |
| Hairdresser | 800 m | 4000 m |
| Sports facility | 800 m | 4000 m |
| Public transport stop | 300 m | 1500 m |
| Forest | 500 m | 3000 m |
| Lake | 1500 m | 15000 m |
| Swimming pool | 1500 m | 8000 m |
Weightings by way of life
This is where the score becomes personal: the same data, weighted differently, gives a different result. These weights reflect priorities we chose. We stand by them and they are debatable — which is why they are published.
| Profile | Everyday amenities | Mobility | Schools | Nature and sport | Costs | Dynamism |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family with children | 20 | 15 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 5 |
| Urban working couple | 30 | 25 | 0 | 15 | 20 | 10 |
| Remote work | 25 | 10 | 5 | 30 | 25 | 5 |
| Senior | 30 | 25 | 0 | 20 | 20 | 5 |
| Outdoor and sport | 15 | 10 | 0 | 50 | 15 | 10 |
| Car-free | 30 | 40 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 0 |
When a dimension has no data at all, its weight is removed and spread across the computable dimensions. The score stays comparable, and the coverage shown indicates how much of the weight was actually used.
Definition of a "favourable day"
A day counts as favourable for outdoor activities if it meets three conditions: less than 1 mm of precipitation, at least 4 hours of sunshine, and a mean temperature of at least 5 °C. The average covers ten full calendar years.
Acknowledged limits
- There is no official school rating in Switzerland. We show what exists and how far it is, never a ranking — and we will not invent one.
- Rents from listings are ASKING prices, not rents paid. We publish the median, never the mean, and only from five listings upwards — the count is always shown.
- In eleven cantons, assigning municipalities to health-insurance premium regions depends on a federal ordinance that is not open data. The premium stays "not available" there: we do not guess it.
- The named list of shops comes from OpenStreetMap, which is crowdsourced: coverage is good in cities and uneven elsewhere. This list is never exhaustive.
- Climate comes from the ERA5 reanalysis on a grid of about 25 km. In the mountains, neighbouring valleys share the same cell: the figure is regional, not local.
- Offences are recorded at CANTONAL level by police crime statistics. We do not break them down to the municipality: that would produce a figure that was never measured.