The structural change in the Rhenish mining area is of outstanding importance to the region, its neighbouring conurbations, and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its intended transformation towards becoming a source for carbon-neutral energy, sites for closed resource cycles, and new attractive residential, work and leisure opportunities serve as a model for Germany and beyond.
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University has commited to actively accompanying the change process. For this purpose, REVIERa was founded as an interdisciplinary, cross-faculty platform that seeks to address long-term perspectives of structural change in the Rhenish lignite mining district – in a dialogue among equals with our partners and the various stakeholders in the area.
The REVIERa transformation platform aims to address the complex challenge of shaping the lignite phase-out as well as far-reaching social, spatial, and technological change processes. To guide these processes, main goals are to develop perspectives – and provide impetus – for this transformation in an interdisciplinary exchange between researchers at RWTH and together with stakeholders in the mining region, including non-experts and society.
Knowledge of the subject matter, process knowledge, and dialogical expertise is developed and interwoven in a holistic process and as a platform. REVIERa combines local transformation activities with global sustainability goals and strengthens a cross-disciplinary, multi-actor approach to shaping the Rhenish mining area as a model region.