From the end of August through early September 2025, Youth4Planet’s Christian Thalacker will be exploring Belgium’s tree-top bicycles paths . . . and interviewing Active Mobility DO-ers there and along the way. Meanwhile . . . today’s epic VëloSummer Luxembourg’s season finale proved just how mainstream Slow-Tourism and Active-Mobility are: CFL’s trains and bicycle paths FULL of joyful people (and their bicycles) en route to Goebelsmühle for the 40-ish kilometer Uewersauer trail. For two special days . . . these charming back-country roads were open only to residents + people bicycling. Join us . . . and get inspired . . . recharge . . . and (yes just a little bit) . . . re-imagine Slow Tourism in Luxembourg’s North, West, East, Center and South.
Just how full were the trains? Sardine-cans full of bicycles IN EVERY wagon. Next year will be even better!
For some reason . . . while traveling on the train to Goebelsmühle today, the inspiring speech that John F. Kennedy challenged on the 12th September 1962 . . . kept resonating: “We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy but because it is hard.” Luxembourg today faces our own moon-shots. Our moon-shot Circular Economy challenges span human resources, tourism, transportation, education, finance, construction, advertising, _ _ _ _ _ . . . and yes . . . daily living across our neighborhoods, streets, farms, soil, forests, rivers, cities, villages . . . and beyond.
What the world shows is possible . . . a few examples:
- Bergen, Norway: a 3-kilometre art-lined bicycle tunnel turns a 30-kilometre suburban commute into an efficient and cultural journey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCedclz03uI
- Limburg, Belgium: tree-top cycling paths and lake-crossing cycling path in Boslun Forest combine tourism, ecology, and mobility https://www.visitlimburg.be/en/cycling-through-the-trees
- Utrecht, Netherlands: the world’s largest bicycle parking hub shows that cycling can be as seamless as driving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF-GyhP1MYE
- Beijing, China: 200 kilometres of protected cycle-paths built annually https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR2j1bQws-w
- Copenhagen, Denmark: a balanced mobility matrix . . . with at least 25% walking + 25% cycling + 25% public transport . . . and no more than 25% private cars https://eu.boell.org/en/cycling-copenhagen-the-making-of-a-bike-friendly-city
- California: California’s renewable energy transition shows that even a sprawling state of nearly forty million people can exceed 100 percent renewable energy for hours every day https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mark-jacobson-1b58b38_california-on-pace-to-become-100-windwatersolar-activity-7363229859772317696-DWHx/
- Belgium (private) Employers: Since 1 January 2024, the tax-exempt bicycle allowance was raised from EUR 0.27 per kilometer to EUR 0.35 per kilometer. The ceiling is €3,500 on an annual basis. If the ceiling is exceeded, the balance is subject to withholding tax and social security contributions https://kpmg.com/be/en/home/insights/2024/02/ppl-bike-allowance-and-company-bikes-in-2024-important-updates.html
- New York City + London + Singapore: Congestion Charges have reduced traffic, cut emissions, and generated billions to fund buses, cycling lanes, and public space improvements . . . around the world https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/six-months-governor-hochul-highlights-success-congestion-pricing-traffic-down-business-and and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Road_Pricing
- Moonstone House, Great Britain: a show-case waste-negative + renewable energy positive building. . . that should inspire quality builders EVERYwhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EF3SHzCmQA
- Sorgenfri, Denmark: an innovative housing concept covered by a 34-thousand meter-square park. This ambitious project consists of 640 new apartments for a combination of students, researchers, and seniors, and has thus become a shared space for an unusually diverse and dynamic group of people https://landezine-award.com/skovbrynet-basecamp/
Town-halls = Re-imagine the Luxembourg YOU want
As we bicycled from Goebelsmühle to Lultzhausen, my thoughts drifted to the Ville de Luxembourg’s Ideation Workshop last November . . . and this year’s follow-up town-halls. From Belair to Cents, Dommeldange to Grund, Merl to Pfaffenthal, Pulvermühle to Weimerskirch . . . the Ville de Luxembourg continues to engage with residents to share their insights vis-à-vis their challenges. These challenges were work-shopped and documented by the Ville de Luxembourg’s excellent Apéri’tours public engagement teams . . . (for further reading: https://www.vdl.lu/fr/la-ville/participez-vous-aussi/lannee-des-24-quartiers/aperitours-la-suite). A few key insights that keep popping up:
- Too much motorized traffic
- Too little safety
- Too much noise
- Too little green
- Too much waste
- Too little resilience
These are not complaints. These are sober descriptions of daily life. These are opportunities to improve our shared future.
How would you address Luxembourg’s Moon-shot Tree-top challenges?
- Mobility commuting: Less than 2% of trips are by bike + 11% on foot + 22% by public transport . . . and 65% by car/SUV/truck
- Housing: Building permits plunged 45% in 2024, with 5,850 fewer units compared to pre-crisis averages. Housing Affordability now ranks among the worst in Europe, with average prices second only to Monaco
- Climate finance: Investment in climate protection is €403 million below EU’s Fit-for-55 recommendations
- Environment: Forest cover is shrinking by 0.6% annually, and biodiversity indices are in decline
- Entrepreneurship: Luxembourg now creates fewer start-ups per capita than Germany, France, or Belgium
Luxembourg’s Challenge . . .
Imagine if Luxembourg declared:
- Every new street must be bikeable + walkable . . . and sociable . . . before it is drive-able.
- Every new building must be renewable energy-positive and waste-negative.
- Every new neighborhood must grow part of its own food . . . on balconies, rooftops, or in shared gardens.
- Every new euro of public investment must close the €403 million climate gap, not widen it.
- Retro-fits must be fit-for-purpose + prioritized and incentivized.
- Restoring bio-capacity must be addressed at scale.
The question is not whether Luxembourg can.
The question is when Luxembourg will.
Decency is measurable. Key Performance Indicators’ arithmetic show that the dividends of courage are ours to claim.
Luxembourg should treat the 100% Circular Economy transition as its Marshall Plan for the twenty-first century. What can our nation of 677,717 multilingual, well-educated citizens at the heart of Europe . . . achieve in solidarity?
The stakes are not abstract.
The choice is not technical.
What is your choice?
Questions? Let’s chat: christian@youth4planet.org
Further Reading:
Here is the Visit Luxembourg’s finale website for the Vëlosummer tour:
Here is the 12th September 1962 JFK speech:
Here are all the scheduled Apéri’tour la suite Town-halls in your VdL neighborhood:
- Beggen: Mardi, le 28 octobre 2025 – 18h – Centre culturel, 26B, rue de Rochefort, L-2431 Luxembourg – To be uploaded when VdL makes the file available = normally the day after the Town-hall
- Belair – Mardi, 8 juillet 2025 – 18h – Centre culturel « Schéiss », 142, val Ste Croix, L-1370 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/BELAIR%20-%20Rapport%20%28002%29.pdf
- Bonnevoie-Nord / Bonnevoie-Sud – Mardi, 21 octobre 2025 – 18h – Centre culturel, 2, rue des Ardennes, L-1133 Luxembourg – To be uploaded when VdL makes the file available = normally the day after the Town-hall
- Cents – Mardi, 13 mai 2025 – 18h – Centre sociétaire « Schwaarzt Haus », 167, rue de Trèves, L-2630 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/CENTS%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Cessange – Jeudi, 5 juin 2025 – 18h – Centre culturel, 1, rue St Joseph, L-1838 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/CESSANGE%20-%20Rapport_0.pdf
- Clausen – Mardi, 3 juin 2025 – 18h – École Clausen (hall omnisports), 39, montée de Clausen, L-1343 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/CLAUSEN%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Dommeldange / Eich / Weimerskirch – Jeudi, 22 mai 2025 – 18h – Centre culturel « Drescherhaus », 26A, rue du Château, L-1329 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/DOMMELDANGE%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Gare – Jeudi, 16 octobre 2025 – 18h – Centre Sociétaire – 29, Rue de Strasbourg, L-1839 Luxembourg – To be uploaded when VdL makes the file available = normally the day after the Town-hall
- Gasperich – Mercredi, 11 juin 2025 – 18h – Hall omnisports, 4, rue Gioacchino Rossini, L-2451 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/GASPERICH%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Grund / Pulvermühl – Mercredi, 25 juin 2025 – 18h – LUGA Science Hub, 24 rue St Ulric, L-2651 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/GRUND%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Hamm – Mercredi, 2 juillet 2025 – 18h – Centre sociétaire, 1, rue Walter Colling, L-1348 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/HAMM%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Hollerich – Jeudi, 23 octobre 2025 – 18h – Schluechthaus, 5, rue de l’Abattoir, L-1111 Luxembourg – To be uploaded when VdL makes the file available = normally the day after the Town-hall
- Kirchberg – Mercredi, 21 mai 2025 – 18h – Salle polyvalente, 10, rue Marcel Noppeney, L-2231 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/KIRCHBERG%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Limpertsberg – Mercredi, 15 octobre 2025 – 18h – Halle Victor Hugo (Foyer), 60, avenue Victor Hugo, L-1750 Luxembourg – To be uploaded when VdL makes the file available = normally the day after the Town-hall
- Merl – Jeudi, 3 juillet 2025 – 18h – Home « St Gengoul », 26, rue de Saint-Hubert, L-1744 Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/MERL%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Neudorf / Weimershof – Mercredi, 8 octobre 2025 – 18h – Centre culturel, 254, rue de Neudorf, L-2222 Luxembourg – To be uploaded when VdL makes the file available = normally the day after the Town-hall
- Pfaffenthal – Mardi, 10 juin 2025 – 18h – LUGA Lab, Parc Odendall, Luxembourg – PDF Evaluation quantitative par quartier 🇫🇷 français https://www.vdl.lu/sites/default/files/media/ni/document/PFAFFENTHAL%20-%20Rapport.pdf
- Rollingergrund / Mühlenbach – Mardi, 30 septembre 2025 – 18h – Centre culturel « Jean-François Boch », 276, rue de Rollingergrund, L-2441 Luxembourg
- Ville-Haute – Mercredi, 18 septembre 2025 – 18h – LUGA Culture Hub, Parc municipal Edouard André, Luxembourg – To be uploaded when VdL makes the file available = normally the day after the Town-hall
Apéri’tours documentation available online (in French only):
Here are the International Monetary Fund’s analyses of the $7 Trillion in annual Fossil Fuel subsidies:
- https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/climate-change/energy-subsidies
- “Energy Subsidies” Search-results on the IMF Publications website: https://www.imf.org/en/Search#q=%22energy%20subsidies%22&sort=relevancy&numberOfResults=50&f:type=[PUBS]
Luxembourg’s 100% Renewable Energy Transition vision:
