ABSTRACT
Gelsenkirchen is part of the Ruhr region in Germany, which had a steel and coal economy. Due to the sharp decline of these industries, the city is undergoing a major transition. The ‘city of 1000 fires’ is changing to the ‘city of 1000 suns’. A housing estate was built on a former coal mine site as one of the first of 50 planned ‘solar settlements’ in North Rhine-Westphalia. The campaign was launched in 1997 by three ministries (economic affairs, housing and construction, and science and research) and the North Rhine-Westphalia State Initiative on Future Energies.
