Gelsenkirchen: From industrial area to solar area
In: Van Staden & Musco (2010): "Local Governments and Climate Change"
From Industrial Area to Solar Area - The Redevelopment of Brownfields and Old Building Stock with Clean Energy Solutions
Wolfgang Jung, Armin Hardes and Wilhelm Schröder (2010)
In: M. van Staden and F. Musco (Eds.): Local Governments and Climate Change. Advances in Global Change Research. Springer Science + Business Media.
Wolfgang Jung, Senior Project Manager, Science Park Gelsenkirchen
Armin Hardes, Environment Department, City of Gelsenkirchen
Wilhelm Schröder, Department for Economic Development, City of Gelsenkirchen,
Abstract
A former coal mining and steel production hub, this case study on Gelsenkirchen shows that the concepts of renewable energy and energy efficiency can be attractive, also for a shrinking city with rapid changes in the economic structures as is typical for cities in the former European coalfield regions. The city’s urban planning policy is to explore and implement clean energy options in particular for the revitalisation of coal mine brownfields and the renewal of buildings connected to the coal mine industry. Specific projects implemented in Gelsenkirchen that are shared in this article vary from individual industrial buildings with energy efficient architecture to solar housing estates for approximately 2,000 inhabitants. Further to this is the development of a new city district, under construction on the grounds of a former mining area.