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Luxembourg in Transition launched last year with the aim of finding solutions to how the country can balance urban planning with protecting biodiversity and moving towards zero carbon emissions.

The two-year consultation takes place under the leadership of the ministry for energy and spatial planning. Ten teams of international architects, urbanists and social sciences specialists are working on proposals that will be narrowed down to three final pitches.

In addition to including policymakers, scientists and other consultants, the project also launched a call for applications at the end of 2020 for citizens interested in joining the process.

The so-called Biergerkommitee Lëtzebuerg 2050 first met virtually on Monday, 18 January, selected from 250 applications submitted. The committee was put together to reflect Luxembourg’s society in terms of gender, age, origin and occupation.

Participants committed to taking part in conferences, talks and workshops, and to develop their own proposals on Luxembourg spatial planning.

Energy and spatial planning minister Claude Turmes called the citizens’ committee a “milestone” in citizen participation for Luxembourg.

“I hope that the committee can, throughout this process, become a laboratory of democracy, this time focused more particularly on the issue of climate change and its impact on the territory, and the role of regional planning to face it and provide concrete answers and solutions,” he said.