Depending on location, size and former use, brownfields in the Ruhr have different potentials. Besides brownfields where viable regeneration projects are possible there are many sites that are not attractive to the market. One type of use for this category is post‐industrial nature (e.g. industrial forests). Following the overall concept of sustainable development, these sites offer potentials for creative ‘place‐making’ by local residents. The approach of ‘place‐making’ is embedded in the discussion of establishing local governance in urban districts of the Ruhr. Introducing one best‐practice‐case (the Rheinelbe industrial forest in Gelsenkirchen), the paper focuses on the discussion of ‘place‐making’ as a strategy for innovative brownfield development and local governance using the example of the former Lohberg colliery in Dinslaken.
Brownfield regeneration, involving the reintegration of derelict and abandoned sites into their economic environments, is a key element of sustainable urban development. To realize the full potential brownfield regeneration offers to sustainable urban development, the parameters that influence the degree of sustainability within brownfield regeneration itself have to be understood. An analysis of eight sites in four European countries identified strengths and weaknesses in current brownfield regeneration practice. Among other outcomes, criteria for sustainable brownfield projects and the ''Sustainability Assessment Tool for brownfield regeneration projects'' (SAT) were developed. The tool is based on a framework of objectives, indicators and best practices that reflect the multidimensional and multi-stakeholder complexity that characterizes brownfield regeneration. The SAT would be one option to implement sustainability criteria without waiving the local and regional context. The SAT offers one way for brownfield projects being put forward for public and specifically European Union, funding to be evaluated. This would be a remarkable innovation, leading to not only more efficient use of public money but also an increase in quality of brownfield regeneration.
Medicinal plant cultivation and gathering can play a vital role in the course of livelihood diversification for the marginalized population living in remote areas. However, this requires an integration of the respective production networks that allows the producers a fair and reliable income and does not endanger rare plant species. This paper analyses the situation within the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and identifies structures and entities hindering medical plant cultivation and its potentials. Based on the broad network understanding of the Global Production Network approach, the case study focuses on the middlemen and their hidden embeddedness. It shows how governmental organizations and in particular non-governmental organizations and farmers' institutions can help to overcome clandestine structures of illegal trade and contribute towards a redesign of the medicinal plant network in a more equitable and transparent way.
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