Nature as a cure for repairing the relationship between humans and space: the Phoenix-see case in Dortmund

This contribution analyses the impacts of the Phoenix-See urban regeneration project, investigating how the reclamation and renaturation of a former industrial area in Dortmund have transformed the urban landscape and enabled its ecological and social re-signification. The study aims to assess the regenerative potential of the area by examining the relationship between brownfield redevelopment, soil restoration environmental quality, and the promotion of health and well-being, with particular attention to the restoration of environmental and social equity in a context previously characterized by strong spatial inequalities and high environmental pressure. The Phoenix-See project represents a medium-scale regeneration intervention based on the redevelopment of a disused industrial site into an integrated green and blue infrastructure, including an artificial lake, green spaces, residential areas and public spaces. The project can be interpreted as a restorative regeneration process capable of restoring the environmental and social degradation caused by industrialization and reintroducing ecological and public functions within the new district. Following a review of the scientific literature on renaturalisation processes, the methodology is based on a comparative analysis of pre- and post-intervention environmental indicators, in specific terms water, green areas, as well as biodiversity levels. Particular attention is devoted to the identification and evaluation of the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) adopted and their impacts on environmental quality, public health and collective well-being. The expected outcomes are part of a broader research project that aims to empirically validate an innovative methodological framework, demonstrating how Phoenix-See can serve as a replicable model for repairing contexts characterized by extensive urbanization processes and fostering more equitable, resilient and health-oriented urban spaces.