With little space to continue to develop, Esch-sur-Alzette, the second most populous city in the Grand Duchy after Luxembourg, must make intelligent choices. It is also carrying out various projects to relieve congestion in the city centre, which is invaded daily by border workers.

With its 35,000 inhabitants, the municipality of Esch-sur-Alzette, which includes this town alone, is the second most populous municipality in Luxembourg. Cosmopolitan, the town has 57 % of foreign inhabitants and is crossed daily by a number of French border workers. Esch-sur-Alzette is also marked by a long industrial history. "The steel industry has supported a large part of the population for decadesexplains the city's new mayor, Georges Mischo. When the activity stopped, we found ourselves on the mat. There wasn't really any activity that could take over. We didn't have the banks, like in Luxembourg City.

The municipality of Esch has therefore gradually recovered, in particular by transforming the former Belval steelworks site into a centre for training, commercial and cultural activities. "The arrival of the university and the city's designation as European Capital of Culture in 2022 will allow us to build on this momentumsays Georges Mischo. We must now take on the development of the Schifflange and Lentille Terre Rouge wastelands, which are the only two open spaces we still have...".

A real space problem

Despite its assets, the municipality of Esch-sur-Alzette has a real problem with space. "In contrast to municipalities such as Wincrange or Sanem, we have little spacesays Georges Mischo. So we need to think seriously about the use of these sites. At the same time, we must allow the population to participate in this reflection, which has not been done in Belval.

Among the projects that are expected to be built on the two remaining brownfield sites are new schools. "There is a great need for new school facilities in the municipalitysays the mayor. In addition to the schools built on these sites, we will also build two new schools in the city, renovate the Brouch school and extend the Grand-Rue school. In these new buildings, we will systematically install halfway houses.

A mix of housing and businesses

As everywhere in Luxembourg, the problem of housing and access to it for all is a major concern for the municipality of Esch-sur-Alzette. The limited space available forces local officials to be imaginative. "On the Schifflange and Lentille Terre Rouge wastelands, we will try to combine housing and business projectssays the mayor. We already have some companies interested in such a concept.

As Georges Mischo explains, the municipality's other preferred approach is the adoption of communal bylaws to bring new families to the municipality. "On 9 February we changed the building regulations. From now on, it will no longer be possible to build several flats in single-family houses in the municipality. In addition to the attractiveness for families, this decision is intended to prevent the illegal renting of unhealthy furnished rooms. Unfortunately, this practice is still going on in Esch and it is the most vulnerable people who fall victim to it.

Improving mobility

The other difficulty encountered by the people of Esch relates to mobility. "The state is extending the A4 motorway to allow border workers to go directly to France without passing through the centre of Esch, which is jammed every dayexplains Georges Mischo. Furthermore, our mobility plan places a lot of importance on public transport: the Kussbus shuttle, which allows you to get to work, the City Bus or the upcoming arrival of high service level buses that have their own lane... I think we need to work on this, because carpooling seems to me to be an illusion.

The municipality of Esch-sur-Alzette is also in discussion with the CFL to build a small additional station in the town centre, which would allow some of the motorists to be drawn away. In addition, the culture-sport bus project is still being promoted with great passion by Georges Mischo. "The idea was in our electoral programmehe explains. It consists of taking our children out of the halfway houses to their sports or cultural activities. The idea is on the way and should be completed soon.

The Gaalgebierg, the city's green lung

With such a lack of space, where can the inhabitants go for a walk and get some fresh air? Fortunately, Esch-sur-Alzette has retained an attractive green lung: the Gaalgebierg, a hill overlooking the town and covered by a vast forest. There are parks, a football pitch, a campsite, a wildlife park, a natural ice rink in winter, etc. "We invest a lot in this spacesays Georges Mischo. It is important to keep a natural area like this within walking distance of the city. In addition, we have negotiated an exchange with theThis state allowed us to recover a part of the forest on the other side of Esch. At this location, we are able to build a new park with playgrounds, all of a size comparable to that of the Gaalgebierg."

As you can see, there is no shortage of challenges in Esch-sur-Alzette. That said, it is also one of the best equipped cities in Luxembourg in terms of services of all kinds. In addition, its intense cultural life ensures that all its inhabitants are permanently protected from boredom...