'Lack of planning, congested housing, crowded factories, air pollution and no green space' a traditional text-book picture of West Germany's industrial heartland which was probably true 30 years ago. Today it is not true. The last ten years have seen an enormous
'greening' of the Ruhr - parks, open spaces and a fight against pollution - you can even swim in the River Ruhr! The fight has been helped by industrial recession, a huge decline in the heavy iron and steel industry and coalmining - there are no mines left in the Ruhr. And yet until the recent strike for a 35-hour week, there has been little unrest and even then, the Ruhr stayed quiet.
David Smeeton reports on the huge industrial, social and education changes in the traditional heartland of West Germany's industry, the Ruhr Valley.
Producer GEOFFREY SHERLOCK (Repeated: Friday 11.0 am)