The Ruhrgebiet – the repair of a water landscape

TCR Talks – Winter Semester 2026/27

By Dipl.-Ing. Sebastian Schlecht

Date: Tuesday, 03 November 2026
Time: 11:00 – 12:00
Place: https://rwth.zoom-x.de/j/99488595469?pwd=dUtsSjlOSDRpS1RYcm1LYUVwRVBMQT09
Meeting-ID: 994 8859 5469
Code: 090783

The Ruhr region is an area shaped by water in many ways, and its rivers in particular have played a pivotal role in its development. Throughout the various phases of industrialisation, the Ruhr region has repeatedly come up against the limits of these water systems – which are only self-evident at first glance – and it was only through considerable technical effort that industrialisation became possible in the first place. For several decades now, the Region has been managing the consequences of industrialisation, ensuring the quality of life in the region, and establishing and maintaining a stable water management system. In this context, water quality and the ecosystem services provided by these water systems are increasingly becoming the focus of these activities.

Looking at the river landscapes of the Ruhr region, from the Ruhr to the Lippe, this talk will overview the role of water in the region in the context of its various demands, whilst also taking a look at bathing habits.

The River Ruhr, which in the early phase of industrialisation served as the driving force behind the region’s very name, illustrates the transformation from a watercourse that was extremely polluted and in some sections, effectively dead 100 years ago,  to an officially designated river bathing water in 2017 as part of Essen’s European Green Capital initiative. It explains how targeted measures enabled the Ruhr – as an industrial river – to become an official bathing water in accordance with the EU Bathing Water Directive, and how water quality, and thus the safety of bathers, is ensured.

From the perspective of regional development, these are also important prospects that contribute to the quality of life and the attractiveness of the Ruhrgebiet as a metropolitan region in Europe.

Short bio:

Dipl.-Ing. Sebastian Schlecht, architect (AKNW), is a member of the department of Urban Planning and Design at RWTH Aachen University, a lecturer at the Faculty of Spatial Planning at TU Dortmund University, and the founder of lala.ruhr – the Laboratory for Landscape and Architecture of the Ruhr region.