Living in the park

In the Ruhr, many residential districts have grown up around the industrial plants. In order, primarily, to hire industrial workers from the eastern European regions from the middle of the 19th century onwards and to further strengthen the bonds of the workforce with the company, the iron and steel consortia of the Ruhr area conceived enticement strategies which included the provision of accommodation. The area saw the emergence of estates in colony forms, garden cities in close connection to the industrial company, Pestalozzi villages for housing of primarily young and single workers with families already settled. Even though this development does not represent a symbol of urban city development, these processes have in part given rise to closed city districts which, in comparison with social rental buildings, salvage many qualities.

The reactivation of these districts and the highlighting of their qualities was one goal of the IBA Emscher Park. In collaboration with housing companies and municipalities, not only was it possible to uncover architectural and urban development qualities of the buildings but also to integrate modern architecture and locate new estates on former industrial sites.

High environmental, social, urban development and aesthetic requirements of modern residential construction and the renovation projects could only be defined and agreed via competition and implementation processes. Many of the districts are now characterised by tenant associations, as early as in the planning phases, clearly defined target groups and calculated open space developments.