Emscher Future Master Plan

The Emscher Future Master Plan (2006 to 2020) is an intersectoral and intermunicipal planning instrument that guided the restoration of the Emscher river in the state of Northrhine-Westphalia in western Germany. The plan was developed over a two year period in a bottom-up manner by the winners of a public competition held by the local water management association, within an intensive regional dialogue and large stakeholder participation and ultimately agreed upon by all relevant political actors. The plan serves as the governance backbone of the regional restoration process, responding to the river's high pollution and earlier conversion into an open sewage canal in one of Germany's most densely populated and industrialized urban regions. It provided a framework to enable informal coordination across relevant sectors and municipalities in the restoration activities, without replacing formal planning procedures that were already in place. As an adaptable planning platform, the plan was based on a consensus among stakeholders and created impetus for new projects.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Joint regional planning between municipalities

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Watershed restoration/water quality
Social cohesion
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The plan provided the overarching strategy for the restoration of the Emscher River, including planning considerations for the entire course of the Emscher River from its source to its mouth, as well as for the confluences of its tributaries and the route of the Emscher sewer. Eight guiding principles for the planning process are included, namely: 1. To ensure a high level of flood risk protection; 2. To achieve and benefit from the high ecological potential the river restoration offers, 3. To provide options for recreational activities along the river that increase the quality of use for citizens, 4. To enhance well-being and unleash new economic potential; 5. To embed the restoration in the local context, including historical infrastructure buildings and landmarks., 6. To ensure connectivity of ecosystems along the river, 7. To design paths, benches, and recreational areas in a distinct, recognizable corporate architecture, 8. To open up diverse opportunities for economic development in the region. These eight guiding principles address both ecological and societal goals, and in sum, form a holistic approach to the restoration of the Emscher river. The Master Plan also describes in detail the planned projects along the river. Concrete quantitative targets were, however, not set.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Blue areas

Green areas for water management

Derelict areas

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Policy business case

Governance

Non-governmental actor(s)

Initiating body:

Private sector, corporate, business

Details about how the instrument was designed:

In 2003, the Emschergenossenschaft (the water management association that led the Emscher restoration) held an interdisciplinary competition. The first and second prize winners were entrusted with the design of the Emscher Future Master Plan. The Master Plan was developed in an intensive regional dialogue for almost two years. Through the participation of relevant stakeholders, governance priorities were defined that were then agreed upon by all relevant political actors. Specifically, the administrations of the 11 cities along the Emscher river were closely involved in the design (and implementation) of the plan.

Targeted actors:

Coalition

Details about the implementation:

The implementation of the plan was based on a cooperation agreement between the Emschergenossenschaft and the Ruhrverband. Both actors are water management associations responsible for the Emscher and Ruhr catchment areas respectively. Key in the implementation were also the administrations of the 11 cities along the Emscher river which were closely involved in the implementation of the plan. The plan was closely connected to another Instrument: The Masterplan Emscher Landschaftspark 2010 (Landscape Park Master Plan 2010) which was developed and published by the Ruhrverband. In the Emscher Landscape Park Master Plan 2010, the envisaged development area of the of the park extends far beyond the Emscher Valley and thus also beyond the area of the Emscher Future Master plan. The Landscape Park Master Plan is dedicated primarily to the the regional green corridors. In addition, however, it includes - like the Emscher Future Master Plan - many cultural, structural and open space projects operated by the cities of the Emscher region under municipal sponsorship. For the Emschergenossenschaft, the Emscher Future Master Plan is at the same time the basis for ongoing investment and operational activities within the core area. The concrete decisions required for this are the central difference between the two master plans.

How did the government support the instrument?:

Ongoing government support was provided at different levels. At the municipal level, the support and cooperation of mayors was crucial in taking the restoration forward. As the largest infrastructure project in the state and an important impetus for managing structural change in the Ruhr region, political and financial support was provived from early on by the the government of Northrhine-Westphalia.

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

Loan by European Investment Bank (EIB)

Budget:

Above 10 000 000€

Details about instrument financing:

The Emschergenossenschaft invested a total of around 5.5 billion euros. Over 80% of these funds was for urban water management infrastructure measures such as wastewater treatment plants and sewers. Besides the public investments of around 4.5 billion euros (including federal funds and state funds from Northrhine-Westphalia), many private sector initiatives and projects have been developed. Major funds were also provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The Master Plan was the key planning document that steered the restoration of the Emscher River. In 2021, the Emscher was declared free of sewage water for the first time in 170 years. Large parts of the river have been restored and new habitats have been created. These include the Lake Phoenix in Dortmund, a newly created lake that has become a popular residential area and leisure destination. The number of species along the Emscher has tripled since the beginning of the restoration. The restoration process is an internationally-recognized good practice example for large-scale river restoration. For example, the Plan was presented at the 11th International Architecture Biennale in Venice in 2008 and São Paulo in 2009. The restoration of this complex river system will have a continuous effect on comparable large-scale water management and urban development projects all over the world.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The plan provides an example of a flexible and adaptive planning instrument for large-scale restoration projects that was brought forward by non-governmental actors but with their major support. Policy goals were jointly developed between the involved stakeholders, increasing their acceptance and relevance. The plan recognized the importance of a intermunicipal and intersectoral approach to planning a large-scale restoration of a river that spans across multiple municipalities. Thus, it deliberately left space for informal planning, cooperation and learning among local councils.The broadness of the Master Plan is at the same time also a weakness of the plan. Due to the lack of a monitoring framework, progress towards achieving the broad goals is difficult to monitor. The existence of a second plan, the Master Plan Emscher Landschaftspark 2010 is also the result of overlapping competences between the Emschergenossenschaft and the Ruhrverband, the two big water associations of the region. How the two plans differed and related to each other was not always entirely clear. An integrated plan between the two water boards would have reduced overlap, streamlined planning, and demonstrated coherence to the public.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Emschergenossenschaft (2006). Masterplan Emscher-Zukunft. Das neue Emschertal. Available at: http://www.emscherplayer.de/media/content/publication/000/025/000025417.pdf (Accessed: 12 July 2022).

Emschergenossenschaft (2021). Die neue Emscher kommt. Available at: https://www.eglv.de/medien/die-neue-emscher-kommt/ (Accessed: 12 July 2022).

WDR (2022). "Kloake des Ruhrgebiets": Emscher ist jetzt abwasserfrei. https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/emscher-abwasserfrei-100.html (Accessed: 12 July 2022).

Emschergenossenschaft (2022). Der Masterplan. Auf dem Weg ins Neue Emschertal. https://www.eglv.de/emscher/masterplan/ (Accessed: 12 July 2022).

Further documents

Weblinks:

http://www.emscherplayer.de/media/content/publication/000/025/000025417.pdf

Photos

@Eselsmann™