Urban Grounds: Map (2025)

As the lead cartographer (GIS analysis & illustration), I collaborated with Nathalie Kerschen (scientific research & concept) to produce this map, specifically for the exhibition.

Using species observation data collected from 2000 to 2025 by the Musée national d’histoire naturelle Luxembourg, the map visualises 70,909 recorded sightings through hexagons of varying intensity. These hexagons represent the full range of all species recorded across Luxembourg City.

Alongside this, we selected key species of investigation to highlight: their photos are displayed as collage illustrations, positioned in relation to the locations where they were observed in the dataset. Each species is provided with key information about how it occupies its habitat.

The result reveals biodiversity hotspots in the Pétrusse & Alzette valleys – acting as natural “green corridors” – versus fewer sightings on the more mineralised plateaus, where only urban-adapted species such as pigeons and rooks dominate.

Urban Grounds: Section (2025)

I created this section as lead illustrator in collaboration with Nathalie Kerschen (scientific research & concept co-design).

The drawing cuts through the Alzette valley, from the Rham Plateau across the imposing Bock promontory — once a fortress with casemates — toward the forested Niedergrünewald Park.

This slice of the city reveals a chain of thresholds: gardens, parks, forests, sandstone cliffs, wetlands, and occasional buildings. Together, they form a sheltered enclave beneath the historic district, acting as a quasi-natural cocoon

Green space evolution diagrams

This sequence was created to illustrate the evolution of Luxembourg's green spaces and is based on Nathalie Kerschen's historical and cartographical analysis.

A timeline of change:

• 1867 – A fortress city with almost no public green space.

• 1878 – The demolition of fortifications frees 177 hectares, creating the first Municipal Park.

• 1907 – Parks and tree planting expand into a protective green belt around the city.

• 1967 – Pierre Vago’s General Development Plan integrates Kirchberg and protects parts of the historic parks and old quarters.

• 2025 – Despite urban expansion, the green belt remains largely intact, with the old quarters & fortifications now UNESCO World Heritage.

Together, these snapshots reveal how planning decisions, demolitions, and conservation shaped the relationship between Luxembourg’s cityscape and its natural spaces — a continuous negotiation between growth and preservation.