Mobility in Luxembourg's urban planning & public spaces

Interview with Michel Knepper, Operations Director - GROSSFELD Immobilière S.A. An online survey on "Mobilitéitsplang fir muer", presented last February by the City of Luxembourg, showed that 58% of participants are ready to give up car journeys in the city provided they find a coherent offer of public transport and cycle paths.

The new Cloche d'Or district responds to these expectations by encouraging more frugal travel, while bringing urban services closer to home. Lighting.

FOCUSING ON QUALITY OF LIFE

It's not a new idea! Reducing travel and rethinking our cities to satisfy daily needs over short distances are an integral part of the philosophy behind the Cloche d'Or district. As innovative as it is sustainable, this symbol of "New Urban Living" brings together housing, offices, leisure facilities and green spaces to offer residents a warm and welcoming place to live. 

Its ambition? To make it a lively and accessible place, thanks to well-thought-out mobility solutions. Michel Knepper explains that Grossfeld Immobilier has always been sensitive to this issue, and that proposing solutions and contributing to the costs is a matter of course. We're very attached to the idea of an urban, lively place. The 600,000 m² are divided between residential, retail and office space. 

Many new residents work and live in the area, so it's vital to offer them mobility solutions that suit their lifestyles while meeting ecological imperatives."

AN ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOOD

For those who travel by car, the district offers direct access to the freeways leading to France, Belgium and Germany via the Croix de Gasperich interchange. Residents of the district can take advantage of 3 modes of transport to get around: the Howald train station, which opened in 2018, is 600m from the district and offers an attractive link for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Spring 2024 will mark the arrival of the Tram, making the peripheral station a true intermodal hub. 

From Luxembourg-City Central Station, the streetcar will serve the station before arriving at Cloche d'Or, where it will take boulevard Kockelscheuer towards the P+R Stade national de Football terminus. It will have two stops in the district, the first at the corner of rue Einstein / bd. Kockelscheuer (between the Lycée Vauban and the shopping center) and a second on bd. Kockelscheuer (near PWC). 

Currently, 6 city bus routes cover the area, with separate lanes on both Kockelscheuer and Raiffeisen boulevards and priority over private traffic at junctions.

THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF SOFT MOBILITY

The layout of the cycle lanes took into account the needs (and safety) of users. According to Michel Knepper, "the need to establish connections with Luxembourg City's existing network guided our thinking. As a result, the districts of Cessange, Gasperich, Howald and the Kockelscheuer recreation area are all accessible while being separated from road traffic to guarantee user safety. In addition, several Vel'Oh stations equipped with electrically-assisted bicycles have been set up in the Cloche d'Or district and surrounding areas. 

For pedestrians (and cyclists), the 10-hectare ecological corridor links the new park and the Weierbaach stream with the surrounding natural area. A veritable fresh-air reserve, it contributes to the creation of a green belt around the neighbourhood, enabling residents to enjoy a pleasant stroll or bike ride before discovering the Gasperich Park infrastructure. As Michel Knepper explains, "The ecological corridor is a pleasant place to be, and the plantings are indigenous and contribute to the conservation of the area".

>> DÉCOUVREZ LES RÉSIDENCES WEIERBACH À LA CLOCHE D’OR<<

Text: Alix Bellac | Photos: Matthieu Freund-Priac2018