Cengage Learning Regeneration of the Coalfield Area: Anglo-German Perspectives

The UK government's pit closure programme dramatically highlights the steady decline of heavy industry, especially coal and steel, during the post-war period, in many industrial regions of Europe. Whilst the political controversy over pit closures may have died down in the UK, the problem remains for planners and policy makers of regenerating areas which previously had high levels of employment and strong communities. German business has responded to the situation in the Ruhr with diversification of products and a massive investment programme. Enlightened environmental policies, pre-dating World War II, ensure that slagheaps and colliery wasteland are systematically reclaimed. A commitment to higher education is reflected in the steady proliferation of universities throughout North-Rhine Westfalia. The purpose of this volume is to contrast the nature and effectiveness of regenerative policies implemented in the different coalmining regions of the UK and those in the Ruhr area of Germany, as a means of generating enlightened policy recommendations, both in the UK where the demand is most pressing, but subsequently in Germany itself, where further industrial contraction is inevitable. Experts from industry and academia have been brought together to evaluate policies for the social, cultural, economic and environmental regeneration of mining areas. This volume will be essential for researchers in social and urban policy, as well as policy makers and planners.