The planned revitalisation of the former Esch-Schifflange steel plant, in operation until 2012, has launched a call for projects appeal to urban planning teams and architects.
The firm in charge of the redevelopment of Belval, Agora, has developed a number of new orientations and propositions for the redevelopment of the Esch-Schifflange site. The propositions are addressed to representatives of the state (the Ministries of Home Affairs, Spatial Planning, Housing, Finance, and Mobility and Public Works), ArcelorMittal, and the mayors of the city of Esch-sur-Alzette and Schifflange municipality.
The report concluded that the revitalisation of the industrial site is "technically feasible" despite environmental limitations linked to the site's history and its uses.
Half of its surface will be allocated towards housing. This is a move that will be welcomed in light of Luxembourg's housing issues. Agora led an international urban development consultation, establishing three fundamental principles in the process: the definition of a mixed urban and economically viable project, the development of a interactive process including experts and residents, and the integration of a forward-looking process open to innovative initiatives.
With the current methodological basis established for the revitalisation project, the next step is to organise an "urban conception workshop", which will be interactive and open to the public. The workshop will take place from 29 March to 5 April and aims to define the parameters of the project with an outcome which will be judged by the next generation in 20 years, according to Agora's president Frank Vansteenkiste.
At the same time, Agora has chosen a selection committee, which will recommend a list of four teams invited to take part in the workshop.
