The project consists of an analysis of the Ruhr Valley in Germany, on whose basis I selected a number of strategic sites. One of these - the Emscher zone in Gelsenkirchen – has been worked out in detail. The Ruhr, a former mining region and the largest agglomeration in Germany, is a supremely fragmented area with a low average population density. Its cultural identity derives from the satellites or Siedlungen and the urban districts, comparatively small elements in a rapidly transforming area. The region is unaccentuated and monotonous, a characteristic informed by the close-knit mass of infrastructure, buildings and greenspace. The open areas that remain are difficult to pick out among the unbroken ribbon development. As for the strategic sites, these have great potential for developing attractive habitats that could contribute to the area's identity. In fleshing out the design area (Emscher zone) the principal strategy is to orchestrate the qualities of the landscape. This is effected by having landscape elements link arms with urban layers at various planning levels. The landscape function accorded the central elongated island is the cultivation of biomass, in keeping with the policy of using environmental technology to improve the Ruhr's image. The proposed intervention would give the area a new profile, while adding this large-scale element helps structure the Emscher region as a whole. The design exemplifies the proposed approach, stressing as much the spatial as the functional link-up with the regional scale. The followed strategy and methodology can also be applied at the other specified sites. All told, it can contribute much to the spatial quality of the region and the attractiveness of the quality of life there.

Place of education: TU Delft
Specialization: urban design
Tutors: Henco Bekkering, Franziska Bollerey & Wouter Reh