Situation

• Dortmund, as well as many other cities in the Ruhr area was  particularly affected by the slow decline of the coal and steel industries.
• In 1997, the last existing steel company in the Ruhr area, the Thyssen, decided to abandon their plant in Dortmund - Hörde after joining up with Krupp as ThyssenKrupp.
• In January 2001, the ‘Hörde Torch’ was demolished.  This marks the end of one of the largest dismantling in the industrial history.
• The former capital of industry was confronted with a high number of unemployment and brownfields scattered all over the city, separating living quarters and public space.
• In June 2000, the Dortmund Project was implemented.

Objectives

• Transform from an industrial and manufacturing location to an international science and technology location.
• Use the collapse of the economic structures as an opportunity to completely redesign the city.
• Increase the quality of life substantially in the city making it attractive for potential companies and investors.
• To increase the quality of life substantially in the city, make itself attractive for companies and investors. So the city can attract employees that are productive and economically qualified.
• Attract new stable populations.

Assets

• An abandoned old industrial site in the Southern urban area in the district Hörde in Dortmund.
• The western part of the Phoenix area is being developed as a priority location for Micro- Nanotechnology, Production Technology, Information Technology and Business Services.
• On the abandoned industrial sites in the Ruhr area arises ‘spontaneous nature’, so called Industrial nature.

Strategy

• McKinsey Development Strategy: The city of Dortmund should focus its strength for the next ten years on the bundled settlement of the growth industries of information industry, telecommunication technologies, Nano-technology, microsystems technology and logistics. 
• After the demolition and removal of industrial parts and underground foundations along with the decontamination of the terrain, flooding started in 2010 with a big festival with the participation of 55000 people to celebrate the turning away of Dortmund’s industrial past.
• Create two new living areas at the South and North shore of the Phoenix See with in total app. 1000 residential units focussing on attracting and keeping middle- and upper class citizen within the city boundaries.
• Using an attractive landscape as an asset attracting business and people. 

Actions

• In 2001, the Phoenix See Development Corporation was established.
• To promote the architecture of the residential development and to attract buyers and builders, the city of Dortmund held an exhibition ‘Building at the Phoenix See’ where 52 designs were presented.
• In December 2009, the Emscher returned to the surface and reconnected Phoenix East and West. 
• With several initiatives and investments the city of Dortmund tries to upgrade the urban area of the district Hörde (improvement Clarenberg, improvement infrastructure and alteration of the station).

EFFECT

• The district Hörde plays an essential part in relation between the ‘new’ and the ‘old’ Dortmund. The district Hörde remains a difficult social and urban situation. 
• The urbanization added a new dimension. The planning brought the privileged and the disadvantaged together and this created the situation in which the population of Dortmund socio-economically and socio - culturally   are increasingly growing apart. Polarization and segregation tendencies are becoming bigger.