Europe’s Clean Cities and Industrial Revival Demand Bold, Creative Solutions

Introduction

To revive manufacturing under the banner of ‘Made in Europe,’ it is essential to acknowledge the historically grimy and grey nature of Europe’s industrial centers.

Bitterfeld: Europe’s Dirtiest Town

“Bitterfeld, Bitterfeld, where dirt falls from the sky,”

Transition Away from Heavy Industry

Europe soon shifted from its postwar dependence on heavy industry towards reliance on inexpensive imports. Environmental activism in the late 1980s played a decisive role in this transition. The 1988 release of an undercover film exposed the appalling living conditions in the Chemical Triangle, leading to the decommissioning of Bitterfeld’s chemical factories.

Reimagining Industrial Spaces

Since then, the prevailing notion across Europe has been that the noise, pollution, and grime of heavy industry represent a phase to be surpassed. Former factory districts and docks have been transformed into cultural venues, while tourists enjoy urban plazas that were once industrial sites. European cities frequently rank highly in global livability indices, and over 40% of UNESCO World Heritage sites are industrial or post-industrial in origin. For instance, Germany’s Chemical Triangle was revitalized in the early 2000s as a photovoltaic hub, producing world-leading solar cells for a period.

Offshoring Industry and Its Consequences

Europe has largely eliminated much of its heavy industry but continues to benefit from globalized manufacturing chains that supply affordable goods. However, as cities are beautified, they increasingly serve as markets for consumption rather than production. Streetscapes populate social media, and homes are converted into short-term rentals. Meanwhile, residents face rising housing costs and limited employment opportunities outside tourism. The offshoring of heavy industry also meant the offshoring of labor.

Dependence on External Manufacturing

Currently, a significant proportion of products consumed in Europe are manufactured abroad. China accounts for over 40% of European imports and a majority of intermediate goods, according to 2023 data. Additionally, much of the critical digital infrastructure supporting productivity and leisure originates from the US West Coast. Bitterfeld’s Solar Valley has struggled, with startups overwhelmed by competition. European quality of life has become a service dependent on external resources, powered by coal in Xinjiang and energy-intensive data centers in Virginia.

European Policy Responses

This dependency raises concerns in European political circles. Since Mario Draghi’s 2020 report on European competitiveness, Brussels has focused on restoring productivity. A key initiative is the European Chips Act, which sets quotas for European-made components in public procurement and subsidies. It aims to support sectors such as solar and wind energy and battery production. However, lawmakers remain hesitant to mandate purchases from European suppliers, debating between endorsing “Made in Europe” or settling for “Made with Europe.”

Challenges of Reindustrialization

Without sufficient scale to achieve efficiency and affordability, European reindustrialization risks being a vanity project. Consider solar panel production: Europe’s largest plant, located in Catania, Sicily, spans 24 hectares and recently opened with the capacity to produce 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels annually, enough to power approximately 300,000 homes. The EU’s target is to produce 10 times this amount, or 15 GW annually, requiring nine additional plants of similar size.

However, a solar panel factory represents only the final stage in a complex production chain. Photovoltaic panels begin as sand, which must be melted at extreme temperatures over several days to produce polysilicon ingots—an energy-intensive process currently conducted on a very small scale in Europe. The ingots are then sliced into wafers, cut into photovoltaic cells, and finally assembled into panels—processes not currently performed in Europe.

For scale comparison, the JA Solar facility in China assembles solar panels from sand to finished product at a scale roughly equivalent to the EU’s annual solar capacity target of 30 GW. It occupies 170 hectares, seven times the size of the Catania site and about half the size of central Amsterdam. This facility consumes vast amounts of energy, with nine-tenths of the solar value chain’s energy used in polysilicon production. China relies heavily on coal for electricity—approximately 60% of its solar panel production is powered by coal-generated electricity. Europe would face the challenge of sourcing this energy sustainably if it were to replace coal.

Similar Complexities in Other Industries

Comparable complexities exist in the production of wind turbines, batteries, and graphics processing units (GPUs). Behind every product labeled “Made in Europe” lies a vast network of intermediate inputs sourced globally—Russian fertilizer for Spanish tomatoes, Middle Eastern plastics for German medical devices, or Chinese vitamin B1 used in French cereals. This extensive, mostly external supply chain is currently much dirtier than Europe prefers to acknowledge.

Innovative Approaches to Reindustrialization

Given Europe’s limited available land, reindustrialization will require innovative construction methods and creative thinking. Could future production be integrated into landscapes or urban environments in novel ways? Could factories be mobile and adaptable, producing goods where and when needed? Might infrastructure serve dual purposes, protecting flora and fauna? Could technologies be re-engineered to harness overlooked resources, such as kinetic energy generated by pedestrian and vehicular movement? Tourist foot traffic could acquire new significance. The current necessity could foster significant inventions.

Balancing Industrial Scale and Heritage

Even if such innovations are achievable, the scale of industrial areas needed may alter many scenic views. However, it is important to remember that many European heritage sites originated as practical engineering solutions to past needs. Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s grand boulevards in Paris organized transport and sanitation in a medieval city, while Venice’s canals served as conduits for goods and shipbuilding supporting the Republic’s prominence. Designing modern industry closer to daily life could create new heritage.

Conclusion

Europe is beginning to confront the material realities underlying its lifestyle. The question remains: will Europeans accept that livability is not only about green spaces but also requires a substantial presence of grey industrial infrastructure?

Hans Larsson is an architect at OMA/AMO