The American Council on Germany (ACG) has named CUDC Senior Urban Designer, Jeffrey Kruth, as the 2017-18 McCloy Fellow on Global Trends. Through the fellowship, the ACG examines issues of “urbanization, climate change and sustainability, technological breakthroughs, and demographics and social change". Kruth will investigate “Postindustrial Futures” by examining strategies of managed decline in cities and culturally oriented development through urban design projects in eastern German cities and the Ruhr Valley.
The goal of the fellowship is to examine the role of public sector and institutional coalitions in their capacity to foster redevelopment opportunities and the emerging cultural landscape associated with these projects. As in the US, regions in Germany have seen decades of deindustrialization and population loss. However, German strategies for redevelopment vary significantly when compared to the US, resulting in a nuanced framework for policy options and the proliferation of alternative identities.This work builds on the CUDC’s extensive work with vacant land reuse in Northeast Ohio, and Kruth’s investigations into post-industrial cities throughout the US. Kruth will meet with researchers, government officials, and urbanists throughout his month of travels. Upon completion, Kruth will take his findings and build dialogs surrounding best practices for planning, urban design and development priorities throughout the region. Congratulations Jeff!