Ludger Basten

Abstract

This paper looks at a major urban redevelopment project in the city of Oberhausen,Germany, trying to establish the reasons for succesful implementation in the face ofa severely competitive climate among the municipalities of the Ruhr. It is shown that strongpolitical forces underlie any official planning process. An adoption of modern planningtechniques seems important as far as internal management capacities and official planningprocesses are concerned. But in terms of receiving final planning approval from neighbouringmunicipalities, the regional planning council and the provincial government, personal andpolitical factors seem more important than project contents or organisation.

Keywords: urban redevelopment, decision-making, politics of planning, city image, planning process

Ludger Basten, Department of Geography, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany