For a long time, the Emscher was Germanys dirtiest river. Now, however, it runs clear again. This volume documents the social and ecological restoration of the Emscher, which flows through the northern Ruhr area for 81 km. Used as a mining wastewater system during the industrial period, it has now been transformed into a new regional river landscape for the twenty-first century. Numerous opportunities for upgrading the overall region find their source in the renaturing of the river and its many backwaters: the restoration has created opportunities for renaturing and conversion, and provides a strong development axis for sustainable city and landscape planning. The overall strategy, key projects, accompanying materials, and regional political discussion around this comprehensive transformation are presented here with texts, plans, and images for the first time.

Dieter Nellen is a consultant and writer working in the fields of urban planning, architecture, and culture. Uli Paetzel is chairman of the executive board of the Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband (EGLV) water management partnership, as well as an honorary professor at the Ruhr-Universität in Bochum. Stefan Siedentop is the managing director of research for the ILS Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development in North-Rhine Westphalia and a professor in the Faculty of Spatial Planning at TU Dortmund.