Masterplan Emscher Zukunft
Master plan Emscher Zukunft

Unpolluted, in harmony with nature, sustainable: The master plan for the river Emscher acts as a spur to the urban planning transformation of the industrial region formed by the Ruhr district.

Masterplan Emscher Zukunft
Masterplan Emscher Zukunft
Masterplan Emscher Zukunft

CLIENT
Emschergenossenschaft

COMPLETION
2020

SIZE
85 km stream course, 4.000 hectares

COLLABORATION
RMP Landschaftsarchitekten, Bonn
Landschaft Planen und Bauen, Berlin
Post und Welters, Dortmund

AWARDS
Deutscher Landschaftsarchitekturpreis 2013, prize winner
Deutscher Städtebaupreis 2012, prize winner
Best-Practice-Preis 2007 für Raumplanung und Stadtentwicklung, special mention

PHOTOCREDITS
Emschergenossenschaft / ASTOC (2, 4, 5)
Jochen Tack (1)
Rupert Oberhäuser (3)

Masterplan Emscher Zukunft

The river Emscher flows through 13 towns in the Ruhr district, derelict industrial areas and picturesque cultivated landscapes until flowing into the Rhine after 83 km. Once a natural river, pits and households have used the Emscher as a straightened gutter since industrialisation, and it is commonly referred to as the “Köttelbecke” (droppings tank). The master plan Emscher Future turns the heavily polluted waters into a meandering river landscape with biotopes and attractive locations for living and working. Extended cycle and hiking trails make the countryside accessible to art, culture and leisure from the source near Holzwickede until its mouth near Dinslaken-Eppinghoven.

The impressive construction of a new 51 km underground sewer with several pumping stations marked the start of the award-winning renaturisation and redesign of the Emscher area. More than 200 planning workshops supported a process which analysed the entire land corridor of the Emscher on a scale of 1:10,000 and at the same time incorporated the concerns of stakeholders by way of dialogue. The master plan serves as a script for all players and, as an informal plan, it forms the foundation of planning law and flood protection measures implemented by the municipalities involved. As a green backbone to the region, the river landscape today links key areas of the industrial culture, landmarks, cultural sites, event centres, regional recreation facilities and sporting arenas which were always close together but not linked in terms of urban development.

Masterplan Emscher Zukunft
Masterplan Emscher Zukunft
Masterplan Emscher Zukunft