Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development
Gerd Lintz
Old Industrial Regions
– The Complex Challenge of Rehabilitation and Development –
Lecture
18th European Advanced Studies Institute in Regional Science
Lodz/Cracow, 1-10 July 2005
Abstract
Old industrial regions can be defined in the same way as the “regions affected by industrial decline” which were supported under objective 2 by the European Union’s Structural
Funds from 1989 to 19991 (cf. Vanhove 1999, 491f.):
 the percentage of jobs in the industrial sector is higher than average, characterising
the region as industrial;
 the unemployment rate is above average, marking the region as a problem region;
 there is a decline in industrial employment, indicating industrial decline as the main
cause for high unemployment.
As a rule, regions with dominating old or declining industries (e.g. coal, steel, ship building and textile industries) are not only characterised by high unemployment. They are
also marked e.g. by a low level of entrepreneurship, a poorly qualified workforce, outdated infrastructure and buildings, social problems, poor tax revenues and last but not least:
accumulated environmental problems (like contaminated sites or devastated landscapes)
and derelict areas. All these factors hamper positive development.
The concept of old industrial regions was developed in the context of the more or less
continuous structural change in “western” countries which caused structural problems
e.g. in well-known cases such as Pittsburgh (US), West Midlands (Great Britain) and the
Ruhr area (Germany). But in the highly industrialised “eastern” countries the transition
starting in 1989/1990 brought about an unprecedented abrupt structural change with a
high percentage of all regions becoming old industrial regions in a very short period of
time. Well known cases are e.g. Katowice region (Poland), North-West Bohemia (Czech
Republic) and Lower Lusatia (eastern Germany). Old industrial regions are even termed
the “losers” of the transformation (Gorzelak 1998). In any case, old industrial regions
pose a challenge to policy makers at all political-administrative levels.
The lecture aims at analysing the problems of old industrial regions and the strategies
that are applied to cope with the powerful structural change. Special consideration is given to the difficult task of rehabilitating environmental damages and derelict areas like e.g.
brownfields. Rehabilitation often is a precondition for a positive development of the region. Unfortunately, there are considerable barriers to private rehabilitation and development in the affected regions so that public initiatives are needed. The lecture will mainly focus on old industrial regions in Germany and eastern Germany respectively.
1
For the period 2000 to 2006 the former objective 2 was merged with the former objective 5b (rural
areas) to form the new objective 2 referring to regions “undergoing economic and social conversion”.
1
Structure of Lecture (draft)
1
Introduction
2
Old industrial regions in Europe
3
4
2.1
Old industrial regions as problem regions
2.2
Old industrial regions on the European map
Case study: Germany / eastern Germany
3.1
Old industrial regions
3.2
Rationale for Rehabilitation and Development of Brownfields
3.3
Problems of Rehabilitation and Development of Brownfields
3.4
Policy Approaches
Conclusion in a European context
Further Reading
Adair, A.; Berry, J.; McGreal, S. (2003): Financing Property’s contribution to regeneration, in: Urban Studies, Vol. 40, Nos 5-6, pp.1065-1080
Boehmer-Christiansen, S. (1998): Environment-friendly deindustrialisation: impacts of
unification on east Germany, in: Tickle, A.; Welsh, I.: Environment and society in
Eastern Europe, Harlow/New York, pp. 67-96
Cook, P. (ed.) (1995): The rise of the rust belt, London
Genske, D.D. (2003): Urban Land – Degradation, Investigation, Remediation, Berlin
Gorzelak, G. (1998): Regional development and planning in East Central Europe, in:
Keune, M. (ed.) (1998): Regional development and employment policy. Lessons from
Central and Eastern Europe, ILO-CEET, Geneva/Budapest, pp. 62-76
Klapperich, H. et al. (2003): ECI International Conference on Green Brownfields II – from
Cleanup to Redevelopment, 15. – 19. June 2003, Essen
McGrath, D.T. (2000): Urban industrial land redevelopment and contamination risk, Journal of Urban Economics 47, pp. 414-442
Müller, B.; Finka, M.; Lintz, G. (2005): Rise and Decline of Industry in Central and Eastern Europe. A Comparative Study of Cities and Regions in Eleven Countries, Berlin
Prange, H. (2000): Lessons from financing the EU’s ‘silent eastern enlargement of 1990,
in: European Urban and Regional Stdies 7(4), pp. 359-369
Sinn, H.-W. (2002): Germany’s economic unification: assessment after ten years, in: Review of International Economics, 10(1), pp. 113-128
Steiner, M. (ed.) (2003): From old industries to new regions. Policies for structural transformation in accession countries, Graz
Vanhove, N. (1999): Regional policy: A European approach, 3rd edn., Aldershot
Dr. rer. pol. Gerd Lintz, Dresden, 31 May 2005, Leibniz-Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung e.V.,
Dresden (IÖR), Weberplatz 1, 01217 Dresden, Germany
Tel.: ++49 (0)351 4679-234, Fax: ++49 (0)351 4679-212, URL: www.ioer.de, E-mail: G.Lintz@ioer.de
2