This year’s annual meeting of the Urban Ecology Specialist Group of the GfÖ took place in the Ruhr region. The program included a tour of the Ruhr University campus and a day-long excursion through the region. On July 10, the excursion began in Bochum for 30 participants and then proceeded to the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, where staff from the Western Ruhr Region Biological Station had prepared an engaging guided tour of the park, the former steelworks site. After the lunch break, during which there was plenty of professional and social interaction, the group proceeded to the spoil tip on “Halde an der Beckstraße” in Bottrop and up to the Tetraeder, which offered a sweeping view of the region and the expansive green spaces on the former industrial sites. The final stop of the day was “EmscherLand” in Castrop-Rauxel, where we were able to tour the “Zukunftsgarten” (Garden of the Future), which will be part of the IGA 2027. The expert-led tour by the Emschergenossenschaft rounded out our visit to the northern Ruhr region.

We would like to extend our warm thanks to all participants for visiting the “Pott” and, of course, especially to the speakers for their outstanding dedication.