Minister Meisch outlines his plan, alongside Professor Lindsay Flynn discussing house-driven inequality and Martin Stoz highlighting his estate agency’s community initiatives.

Housing is one of the most emotionally charged, personally impactful, and politically complex issues in Luxembourg today. 

In today's show, my guests are:

- Minister Claude Meisch, who holds the portfolios for Housing and Spatial Planning; and Education, Children and Youth, talks about the way in which he sees the picture to be tackeld and his ideas for doing so.

- Professor Lindsay Flynn, Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Luxembourg, examines the causes and consequences of housing-driven inequality in Europe and North America.

- Martin Stoz, a real estate and social entrepreneur, whose estate agency gives away one third of its commission to a charity of the seller's choice. 

Minister Meisch: Build Faster, Smarter, Fairer

Minister Meisch outlines a housing landscape shaped by rapid economic growth, population expansion, and a growing disconnect between incomes and housing prices. “We want to be a country where every family finds an affordable home,” he says, but current waiting lists have over 5,500 families are on the public housing waiting list, and many more have simply given up trying.

To tackle this, the government is pushing through 40 new measures to simplify building procedures, accelerate planning, and prioritise affordable housing, particularly near transport hubs and employment zones. Spatial planning also must include schooling, healthcare, green spaces, and de-centralisation, away from just Luxembourg city and Esch, to include projects such as the Nordstad, to develop Ettelbrück and Diekirch as northern urban centres.

Define Affordable: A Moving Target

Prof. Lindsay Flynn draws a sharp distinction between policy definitions of affordable housing and people’s lived realities.

“When people say ‘affordable’, they mean affordable for them – not a statistical bracket,” she notes.

Her research, funded by the FNR’s PROPEL project, focuses on the ripple effects of housing inequality – particularly among young people and renters.

Unlike many EU countries, Luxembourg offers both rental and ownership options under the affordable label. However, whether these are truly accessible depends on income, mortgage access, and policy eligibility – highlighting the mismatch between public definitions and private experience.

Renting Realities: What Tenants Are Up Against

Prof. Flynn’s team recently led a landmark study for Mieterschutz Luxembourg, delving into tenant experiences in the private rental market. The findings included mould and landlords commonly ignoring repair requests. Even when tenants have legal rights, many lack the time, money, or confidence, especially in a foreign language, to enforce them.

One practical solution she proposes is to download a letter template to support tenants in communicating formally with landlords. But “many fear retaliation. They don’t want to make a fuss.”

Youth Extended: The Hidden Costs of Inaccessibility

Young people are increasingly stuck at home longer, delaying not only homeownership but life itself: settling down with a partner, starting families, building a financial base. Flynn warns that the housing crisis is “not just about shelter. It’s shaping our demographics, our birth rates, and our economic futures.”

Her transatlantic studies show striking similarities between Europe and North America: housing costs directly correlate with smaller families and fewer life milestones. “It’s not always delay,” she says. “Sometimes, it’s trade-off. Life choices are being forgone because of rent.”

Immigration, Inclusion & Infrastructure

Luxembourg can’t cap immigration under EU law. So instead, it must anticipate growth. That means not only more homes, but more schools, including three new international public schools planned by 2028, and better integration. “Only one-third of children in Luxembourg speak Luxembourgish or German at home,”  notes Minister Meisch. Flexibility in education, housing, and planning is essential for cohesion.

Can Design Save the City?

What about the aesthetics of housing? Minister Meisch admits not all new developments are beautiful, and that’s a problem. While individual communes control architectural regulations, the Ministry of the Interior is working on harmonising rules. Public developers like the Fonds du Logement are increasingly showcasing that affordability and design don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

A Human-Centred Real Estate Model

Finally, Martin Stoz of Together Immo offers a fresh take: a for-profit real estate agency that donates a third of every commission to a charity of the seller’s choice. “I wanted my work to have meaning,” he explains. Stoz hopes to build a model of conscious capitalism in a sector often criticised for its contribution to inequality.

Do write to tell us about your housing experiences in Luxembourg.

https://www.uni.lu/fhse-en/people/lindsay-flynn/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordstad

https://together-immo.lu/

https://snhbm.lu/

https://fondsdulogement.lu/fr