New planning formats in established settings: a reflection on advice and consultancy, inertia and failure in Luxembourg’s planning practice

Abstract

This practice review reflects on the role of planning innovations when confronted with established institutional settings. The case is that of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, whose government has in recent years sought to modernise the means of spatial planning, in which advice, consultation and citizen participation play a certain role. Two processes are critically examined: the revision of the country’s main planning guideline and the pré-figuration of an international building exhibition in a cross-border area. The study concludes that planning innovations will only show their added value if established institutions of public policy and administration modernise themselves accordingly.