Bonnevoie, the little village in the city

©Lalalaphoto

Author: Emilie Di Vincenzo

 

Bonnevoie is one of the districts that has developed the most in recent years. Many young families have moved there, which has made it very dynamic. One should realise that until 1867, the city centre of Luxembourg only existed within its fortress. When this was demolished at the end of the 19th century, Luxembourg started to enlarge. In Bonnevoie, there was only a cloister. The construction of the station was the origin of Bonnevoie’s development, as was the construction in 1903 of the Adolphe bridge which enabled the urbanisation of the plateau Bourbon. Bonnevoie, Belair, Hollerich and Limpertsberg then started to exist. Bonnevoie experienced initial change with the first urbanisation plans for the plateau Bourbon. The district around the station is the oldest and dates from after the Second World War, unlike Kaltreis, the most recent, which saw the light of day in the 80s. Currently, this represents the largest part of the city, or 15% of the total population: Bonnevoie increased from 15,000 inhabitants in 2012 to 16,500 in 2016.

Bonnevoie is separate from the station district, from Ville-Haute, and from the East and West districts of Luxembourg by railway lines, but at the same time benefits from its immediate proximity to the station. Bonnevoie is made up of two districts from the administrative point of view: Bonnevoie-Sud [South] and Bonnevoie-Nord [North]. This administrative scission along the Rue Auguste Charles is not perceptible, however. Bonnevoie forms a homogenous entity.

Bonnevoie is characterised by its immediate proximity to the station, and for the same reason benefits from excellent links with the public transport network. Within Bonnevoie, there is also a good bus service both in terms of quality and frequency.

It is a very lively and friendly district. The citizens are very active and take action to preserve a good quality of life. The residents’ sense of identification with the district is relatively strong and is based on a high proportion of property ownership. Families want to live there, because it is a residential district with a large number of individual family homes built during the railway workers period, and has nearby shops, restaurants and cafés. Furthermore, the centre of the district has a good infrastructure with three schools, a cultural centre and a church.

The little gardens in Schläifmillen and Verlorenkost and the immediate proximity of the Alzette valley offer real local scope for relaxation. The water tower park in Kaltreis is a positive example of a public green space. In addition, Bonnevoie has the benefit of a good sports infrastructure. And the retirement home on the other bank of the Alzette in the direction of Hamm completes the provision of social amenities.

With its 16,500 inhabitants, Bonnevoie is one of the largest districts of the capital. 3.7% of the population of the City of Luxembourg live in Bonnevoie-Nord/Verlorenkost, and 11.2% in Bonnevoie-Sud. This district has a high level of non-Luxemburgish inhabitants (approximately 11,000), a majority of whom are Portuguese and French, which requires support for integration. Over 100 different nationalities live there. On the other hand, the age structure is very positive: there is a higher than normal proportion of inhabitants aged 25 or older. The only social care centre (foyer social) in the city, Ulysse, is located in Bonnevoie. We are therefore sometimes called upon to handle conflicts due an elevated presence of marginal groups (addicts and homeless people). But initiatives have been put in place so that residents are not adversely affected by this.

The land available for urbanisation is characterised by the immediate proximity of the Alzette valley and high value green spaces. Verlorenkost and Kaltreis are the most recent residential districts and are top of the range from the point of view of their construction. The extensive network of CFL railway lines close to the town centre represent a potential in available land, and we would like to exploit these old brownfield sites for residential use. But the potential areas for urbanisation in the arrondissements only offer a reduced density according to our PAGs [General Development Plans].

I have spent the first 61 years of my life in this district, so it is particularly close to my heart. I hope that Bonnevoie will retain its friendliness. To achieve this, we propose to implement several projects: the development of green islands in the rue Pierre Krier and rue Itzig, the development of cycle tracks and pedestrian routes in rue Anatole France and route de Thionville. We also plan to improve the residential quality of the place du Parc and of the place Léon XIII. Other major projects, implemented together with SNHBM, relate to the lieudit [locality] “Itzegerknupp”, where some 750 residences will be created, in the form of individual family homes and residential blocks, and rue Anatole France, close to the tennis courts, where 135 residential units are planned. We intend to increase the number of inhabitants in Bonnevoie-Sud by 1000 between now and 2020.

Amongst the residences under construction in the district, there is the Résidence 'CAVENDISH GARDEN', located right in the centre of Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, Boulevard Baden Powell. Consisting of 24 residential units on 3 floors, “the future purchasers will value the location of the residence, its architectural composition, its high quality finish, as well as its thermal qualities”, Guillaume Bisdorff assures us, manager of B IMMOBILIER (BINGEN & ASSOCIÉS), one of the resale agencies of the developer Arend et Fischbach.  

Completion is expected by the end of the year/early 2017. A few apartments are still available for sale.