The Ruhr Region as Geogram

The 1960 atlas Siedlungsverband Ruhrkohlenbezirk: Regionalplanung is a real heavyweight of a book. Measuring 40 by 41 centimeters and comprising around 130 illustrations and diagrams, it embodies the planning ethos of the Ruhr region in the 1960s—its scale, its ambition, and its confidence in the power of planning, shaped by the rapid and far-reaching transformations of the coal mining industry. At the same time, the atlas stands as a remarkable compendium of representational and analytical techniques in spatial planning, marked by a striking use of color and a clear appetite for visual experimentation.