On Tuesday 24 October 2017, Luxemourg's Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, François Bausch, presented details of the progress of work to redesign the Master Plan for Territorial Development (PDAT) provided for in the coalition agreement of the government.
Latest developments in the country's spatial development
Firstly, the minister presented the latest developments in the country's space development. The least populated municipalities in Luxembourg are currently experiencing the greatest construction of housing, but these municipalities unfortunately have poor accessibility, few services and a low functional mix. Also the number of jobs almost doubled in the rural municipalities in the past 15 years while the evolution in the Nordstad saw only a 14% increase. 1 out of 2 jobs is located in the capital's metropolis, while the population represents only ¼ of the total population of the Grand Duchy. "An unsustainable situation," said Minister Bausch. "We must imperatively question the way we develop and reframe our approach to put the general interest forward."
Towards a new spatial vision
The figures show that spatial planning needs a new, binding spatial vision in order to put the country's development on the right track.
This work began in January 2016 with the establishment of the interdepartmental working group responsible for the development of the PDAT. They continued in November 2016 with the holding of a debate involving the vital forces of the nation and political actors, under the title "Wéi e qualitative Wuesstem fir eist Land? - Landesplanung fir eng nohalteg Zukunft".
The government wants to include the work to revamp the PDAT, which is in the more fundamental discussion on the appropriate model of growth, in a broad participatory process involving representatives of civil society and cross-border workers.
The working methodology chosen is that of "collaborative, inclusive and decentralised change". The premises that will be used to guide citizen participation were developed during the work of the interdepartmental group in 2017. Among these premises, there is notably a National Charter for Spatial Planning. Likewise, the common themes and specific stakeholders and initiatives by region, which will be used to structure the debates, have been identified.
Four regional workshops with 200 participants
Four regional workshops will be organised in 2018 across the country (Nordstad, AggloLux, AggluSud, Région de l'Est) involving a total of almost 200 participants. Currently a new communication approach around the participatory process is being prepared. On 8 January 2018, it will culminate in the launch of a campaign to mobilise citizens interested in registering for citizen participation. The regional workshops will run from February to July 2018. The final product of the process will be the elaboration of a citizen action plan, serving as a basis for the rewriting of the PDAT and the new territorial vision of Luxembourg.
