Abstract

This paper starts from the assumption that metropolitan areas, similar to trans- and
supra-national regions, are emerging territories of collective action. Therefore metropolitan
areas can be analysed as political systems. However, whereas institutions and
policy making are the privileged subjects in the relevant literature, conflicts and conflict
structures are often neglected. Thus, using theories of re-territorialization, human
ecology and cleavage structuring, the politics in urban regions are examined by comparing
seven large metropolitan areas in Switzerland. The results indicate that metropolitanization
has brought about new bases of political mobilization. However, there
are important variations of conflict structures across metropolitan areas and party mobilization
at the national level appears to be an important intervening factor.