Hope and Rust
Anna Storm Anna Storm In the late 20th century, many Western cities and towns entered a process of de-industrialisation. What happened to the industrial places that were left behind in the course of this transformation? How were they understood and used? Who engaged in their future? What were the visions and what was achieved? Hope and Rust: Reinterpreting the industrial place in the late 20th century examines the conversion of the redundant industrial built environment, into apartments, offi ces, heritage sites, stages for artistic installations, and destinations for cultural tourism. Through a wide-ranging analysis, comprising the former industrial areas of Koppardalen in Avesta, Sweden, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Britain, and Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord in the Ruhr district of Germany, a new way of comprehending this signifi cant phenomenon is unveiled. The study shows how the industrial place was turned into a commodity in a complex gentrifi cation process. Key actors, such as companies and former workers, heritage and planning professionals, as well as artists and urban explorers, were involved in articulating values of beauty, authenticity and adventure. By downplaying the dark and diffi cult aspects associated with industry, it became possible to showcase rust from the past fuelled with hope for a better future. Anna Storm is affi liated with the Division of History of Science and Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2006, she received the Joan Cahalin Robinson Prize for best-presented
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