The pilot project is located in the “Hoheward” local landscape park and includes the “Zukunftsstandort Ewald” business park - on the site of a former coal mine. Both are important, mainly regenerated areas within the 450 km² Emscher Landscape Park. The main aim of the project is to develop an operational model for the cost-effective and sustainable management of the site, through a successful collaboration of varied public and private stakeholders. A management and visitor centre will be created, providing the functionality required for stakeholders to meet their goals. A key challenge is to ensure all plans for the long-term maintenance of the park and the management of the visitor centre are based on sound financial structures and do not require public finance. 

Implementation
Since January 1th, 2013 the new Hoheward management centre is in place, based on a cooperation contract between the cities of Herten and Recklinghausen and Regionalverband Ruhr which allows a sustainable operation. The management centre is in charge to develop new touristic services for the landscape park and in cooperation which numbers of public and private partners in order to support the overall site development (see detailed information in final documentation chapter 1.1).