3. Agenda
Background info
Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr valley): rise and fall
Project for revitalisation of Ruhrgebiet:
IBA Empscher Landscape Park
Subprojects
Some thoughts
7. => Legacy of high unemployment and
environmental contamination
275000
unemployed
people
8. Emscher River
- 70 kilometers from east to west through the region.
- acting as a waste water canal since the end of late 19th century
=>for decades- a biologically dead 'open sewer'
9.
10. Project of Revitalisation
1989 – 1999 - regional redevelopment plan
"International Building Exhibition (IBA) at Emscher Park”
What: ecological, economic, and urban revitalization of the
Ruhr Valley and the Emscher River :
“to give the region a greener image, and breathe life into the
old industrial plants”
How: several collaborative partnerships with various agencies
and 17 local authorities
1999 – 2014 - successor plan "Project Ruhr"
What: completing the IBA plan, and cleaning the Emscher
How: taking over the task of management and the entire
project series from expired IBA pan
11. Project of Revitalisation
- 800 km2 – the largest
renaturalization project in Europe
- "green connector"
between 17 towns of the Rhur valley,
- following the path
of the Emscher River
- using the abandoned
industrial areas as a unique form
of greenspace
- joining 7 existing but expanded north-south greenbelts
13. 100 subprojects in 5 categories
- remedial work on the industrial landscape,
- cleaning up the Emscher river system,
- new-build commercial and educational
facilities,
- housing developments,
- re-use of derelict industrial installations.
14.
15. Revitalisation of Emscher river
- installation of underground sewers;
- re-profiling of the river for better flood management;
- changing of part of the river's course - from a straight
narrow concrete channel back to a wide curved pool;
- trees and native plants have been introduced along the
bank.
16.
17. Housing
25 housing projects ('garden city' model):
3,000 refurbished houses and 2,500 new housing units with
sustainable features
(75% are public sector rented accommodation) -
modern structures with a focus on ecological
sustainability
26. Results
- the image of the area has improved dramatically,
- around 5000 new jobs have been created,
- the project has increased the citizens'
awareness of the historical significance of their
surroundings,
- experience for municipalities
Emscher Park - a symbol for innovation and is an
example of how unique opportunities can be
identified in a place full of challenges.
27. Funding
> 1.5 billion euro – overall budget of IBA projects:
2/3 – public: State Government of North Rhine-
Westphalia, European Union,
1/3 – private: developers, private companies, non-profit
groups and local town governments
28. Thoughts
Can we change the operations of a
whole local culture from the scale of
coal and steel to the scale of a
future?
- not yet known
29. Shutting down
in Germany
COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS
Plans for 770 new ones
in China and India
(2007)
