Thirty Thousand
Luxembourg City alderman and MP Patrick Goldschmidt spoke with RTL Radio on Friday about housing, mobility, and the future of the capital.
On housing, Goldschmidt pointed to the transformation of Hollerich as a flagship project: 20 hectares with a utilisation coefficient of 1.9, corresponding to 380,000 square metres of new development, half of it residential. He listed several major city projects that together could house over 30,000 people if realised.
He praised government housing measures announced this summer, including the reintroduction of accelerated depreciation for investment in housing, though he argued the caps could be improved. "Perhaps as a liberal, I would have gone a little further, but I think the measures announced are going in the right direction", he said.
He explained that the previous depreciation regime was abolished when the market was overheated, but now "almost nothing is being built. If the state and municipalities didn't invest, there would be no new construction." He stressed the importance of private investment for a healthy rental market: "If I have that, then rental prices go down. That's extremely important."
On mobility, Goldschmidt expressed relief that construction on the Schuman underpass and tram extension was completed in time for the Schueberfouer. He highlighted ongoing efforts to expand cycling infrastructure on Boulevard F.D. Roosevelt, Boulevard Prince Henri, and in Merl, with an upcoming cycle bridge.
With the city's population forecast to reach up to 180,000 residents, he pushed for the long-delayed Boulevard de Merl, which would redirect traffic from the west. Recent progress in acquiring the necessary land was promising, and he hoped for "positive news" this autumn.
But he was blunt about the limits of road expansion inside the city: "The number of cars entering the city is not increasing and cannot increase. We do not want more cars in the city." Instead, he advocated carpooling: "If instead of one person per car, we had three, we would have much less traffic."
Asked whether he would run again as lead DP candidate in 2029, he declined to comment. "I was elected for these six years to work hard for the city, and that's what I'm doing."
30,000 people. That is how many could be housed if all the city's planned projects go through. In a country with a chronic housing shortage, that number is either a promise or a mirage. Probably both.