Ruth Erdt studied graphic design and photography at Zurich University of the Arts. Her intense 40-year involvement with people and scenes from her immediate environment is a common thread throughout her photography. With its direct insights, her oeuvre creates an atmosphere of intimacy and transience, the directness of which is difficult to escape. Since 2011, Erdt has worked on a large-scale photographic project exploring the Schwamendingen neighborhood on the outskirts of Zurich. Here she reflects on urban processes, transformations and gentrification—not as a bystander, but as one directly affected by change.