Encouraging non-Luxembourgers to vote should be done systematically with targeted campaigns and the promotion of real citizen participation, says Maxime Miltgen. Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne

Encouraging non-Luxembourgers to vote should be done systematically with targeted campaigns and the promotion of real citizen participation, says Maxime Miltgen. Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne

The needs of different target groups in Luxembourg City have fallen by the wayside thanks to an unchanging policy by communal leaders, argues Maxime Miltgen, who is a joint leading candidate for the LSAP at next year’s local elections.

The city of Luxembourg of the future must once again offer space for everyone and must not degenerate into a centre for the elite. A capital city like Luxembourg City must be much more than just the political centre of the country and the home of Europe’s financial centre. For far too long, for over 50 years, the same policy has been pursued with the same means in attempt to lead a city that is in constant change.

The result is that our capital benefits a few privileged people above all, and the needs of different target groups have fallen by the wayside: on the one hand, the city has a large democratic deficit, as it has not succeeded for years, to proactively convince non-Luxembourgish voters to join the electoral list and participate in political and social life. Moreover, the country’s housing crisis is at its peak in the city, as the promotion of social housing construction has been neglected, probably due to the fact that social housing construction for a long time did not fit into the cityscape desired by the DP.

In addition, the lack of a sense of safety among citizens has steadily increased, as repressive means have been favoured over promoting social work. And finally, the inability to make the city environmentally sustainable, by still relying on concrete and having very little green spaces and only half-heartedly promoting soft mobility instead of responsibly dealing with existing resources and ensuring quality of life of citizens, even in times of climate crisis.

Courageous and responsible decisions

In order to meet the challenges of the future, which go far beyond what we have experienced so far, courageous and responsible decisions must finally be made that benefit everyone. On the one hand, this means that the municipality must keep its investments at a high level, because the aim of a municipality must not be to accumulate as much money as possible in reserves. Part of these reserves must be invested primarily in the massive expansion of the real estate portfolio the majority of which should be affordable housing, and a reserve of emergency infrastructure. In addition to the expansion of the emergency infrastructure, social work must be promoted through the nationwide use of street workers and the support of non-profit organisations. However, this also means that the Nimby attitude that has shaped urban policy over the last 50 years finally has to be discarded, to acknowledge that it is also the duty of a capital to take care of problematic target groups.

Finally, everything must be done to promote the political participation and registration on electoral lists of non-Luxembourgers, who make up 70% of the city’s population. This should not only take place six months before the local elections, but systematically with targeted campaigns and the promotion of real citizen participation, for example by using citizens’ committees with binding goals.

Faced with numerous crises, it is no longer enough to hide behind expensive and prestigious projects, but to focus on the needs of all citizens, to ensure their quality of life for the future and to make political decisions in such a way that they will still be valid in 20 years.

Maxime Miltgen is the co-lead candidate in Luxembourg City for the LSAP at the 2023 local elections alongside Gabriel Boisante.

An alternate version of this article first appeared in the of Delano magazine.