lala.ruhr is a laboratory for the landscape of the Ruhr Metropolis. A think-tank and a format for creative and open exchange and for the development of sustainable solutions for the urban metropolitan area – and a platform for actors and designers of this landscape. The aim is a regional laboratory space and an international framework for the most important future topic in the Ruhr region: the urban landscape.

In congresses, exhibitions, workshops, expeditions, international and regional cooperations and in real-laboratories, future topics are discussed, developed, tested and made tangible. Until the year of IGA2027 and beyond, the excellence of the projects and competences existing in the region will be presented and further elaborated in an international and local discourse. lala.ruhr will be a laboratory and festival for the urban landscape of the Ruhr area and its actors. As an international biennial of the landscape, it is a unique format on the current future topics of urbanisation.

lala.ruhr is the laboratory for the landscape of the Metropole Ruhr –
a biennial of urban landscape!

The Metropole Ruhr laboratory/ Over five million people live in one of the largest urban areas in Europe today. The Metropole Ruhr can look back on an internationally renowned experience in the design of this living space. The design process brought about by industrialisation and its consequences has been shaped by numerous programmes and measures which have created and maintained a living space for today’s inhabitants beyond the borders of the individual cities. In particular, the International Building Exhibition IBA Emscher Park, European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010 and the Emscher conversion have made major contributions in this context.

Climate change and quality of life/ The current trends in climate change, the associated necessary adaptation processes and the international competition for the attractiveness and quality of life of urban centres are today, among the continuing economic and social challenges, important fields of activity, also in the Metropole Ruhr, and require further efforts in regional cooperation. The Region has a lot to show, but there is still something to gain.

Regional competence/ The necessary expertise is already based on the processes of industrialisation and the solutions developed from them. The more than 100 years of dealing with subsidence in the densely populated northern Ruhr area and the associated conversion of entire landscapes and river courses is far from over.

Learning and knowledge/ With numerous universities and educational institutions, the Ruhr region has developed the densest knowledge landscape in Europe, which is also involved in this transformation in many different ways. With over 300,000 students, there is enormous creative potential here, which is given a stage.

Quality and radiance/ With the conversion of former industrial sites into living spaces, numerous courageous and forward-looking projects have been realised, which are also internationally outstanding in their design and technical quality. This development has not ended even with the end of mining and continues to present the region with the task of shaping this space and meeting the demands of the future.

Integrated landscape with high performance/ The increased demands on urban habitats and their green, blue and grey infrastructures are in focus – also internationally. A variety of integrated solutions have emerged and more are needed. Technical, creative and process-related qualities can only emerge if residents of all generations are actively involved in the design.

Landscape of actors / Numerous actors, projects and initiatives actively shape this region. Gardeners, landscape planners, architects, associations, universities, initiatives, companies, investors, municipalities, regional associations, artists and many more are actively involved in the transformation of their living space.

Green Decade/ With the European Green Capital 2017, the Green Decade was proclaimed with a view to the International Garden Exhibition in 2027. With the awareness of the relevance of green issues for the future of the region, the path to IGA2027 offers enormous potential to bundle these current developments in the region and to attract international attention. The Ruhr Conference programmes have also taken an important step towards becoming a climate-resilient region with international radiance through an offensive for green infrastructure.

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