Writing about the political reality of the polynucleated urban region Rhine‐Ruhr is, so it seems, largely writing about a non‐issue. This article describes the institutional characteristics of an urban region with a relatively coherent structure of population and employment but without a regional identity or comprehensive regional co‐operation. A second level of analysis focuses on the role of the ‘European Metropolitan Region Rhine‐Ruhr’ in the Land Comprehensive Development Plan of Northrhine‐Westphalia and the Federal Republic of Germany's conception of regional planning. This article goes on to explore the idea of ‘European Metropolitan Regions’ such as the Rhine‐Ruhr in the European context. Finally, it documents some improvement in the co‐operative atmosphere. It describes the establishment of co‐operative structures that could build up and reinforce a common identity at last. It also deals with the discussion about reform of the administrative landscape. However, it is clear that further steps must be taken towards a more clustered and networked region.
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Wolfgang Knapp (1998) studied this question.