International Study Schedule

Saturday, April 18th

• Depart for Deutschland.

Sunday, April 19th

• Arrive in Dusseldorf and travel via local train to Duisburg.

Monday, April 20th

• Spend the day at Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord. Like Cleveland, Duisburg was once a largely industrial city. Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord was chosen because of its innovative use of a former industrial site. This giant public park in Duisburg Nord, which opened to the public in 1994, was created at the site of a former coal-fired steel production plant. Concrete storage bunkers were transformed into alpine climbing gardens, a former blast furnace was turned into a panoramic observation tower, and a gas tank is now the biggest artificial diving center in Europe. The park also boasts a sophisticated water system, industrial culture bicycle tours, "steel and nature" walks, and a highwire course in a former metalworks building.

Tuesday, April 21st

• Meet with Birgit Adler, Authorised Officer of Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft AG. This entity is the local public transportation company in Duisburg and is part of a larger regional public transportation group. Alicia, Gwen and Jenita are meeting with Mrs. Adler to gain an understanding of the organization of the local transportation system, its governance, its relationship to the regional and country transportation systems, its relationship to other modes of transportation, its challenges and successes, and its major goals over the next 5 years.
• While half the group meets with DVG, Emilie, Jeanne and Merissa will travel to Essen, a city about 15 miles east of Duisburg. In Essen, the Fellows will visit the Zollverein complex (a repurposed former industrial site, now used for arts and culture) and explore the pedestrian section of downtown and meet with representatives of Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR). In addition to being the region's planning association, RVR does a great deal of work around green reclamation, parkspace and transportation.
  
• Engage in self-study of the local transportation system, transportation centers, pedestrian and non-pedestrian zones.

Wednesday, April 22nd

• Duisburg Harbor/Port Tour. Like Cleveland, Duisburg also has an important international port. Duisport is the commercial and transportation center of the Rhine/Ruhr region, which is Europe's largest industrial conurbation. Over 300,000 companies operate in the area and 300 of these companies specialize in transportation and logistics and offer their services in the port. The port includes 6 intermodal terminals and a 1.5 square mile covered storage area. Duisport is a logistics hub of international standing and links airways, waterways, rail lines, and highways with most parts of central and Eastern Europe.
• Travel from Duisburg to Stuttgart.

Thursday, April 23rd

• Meet with Stefan Brunotte, Assistant of the Group Commissioner for the Region Southwest and the State of Baden-Württemberg, Deutsche Bahn. Deutsche Bahn is the Germany national railway company. It serves about 2 billion passengers a year (Germany has a population of around 82 million people) over a 26,000 square mile network. The Fellows are meeting with Mr. Brunotte to get an overview of the Bahn transportation system, its organization and components, its relationship to local transportation systems, and its recent successes, challenges and goals.
• Meet with Mr. Erdt from Call-a-Bike and Mr. Köhnlein from the City of Stuttgart at City Hall. Call-a-Bike is a bicycle rental and sharing system. Individuals register online or on the phone and then they can call the telephone number in the box on the cover of any Call-a-Bike lock to receive the opening code when they want to use a bike.
• Meet with Dr. Reinhard Hoehn, Manager of Environmental Affairs at IBM, CHQ to discuss the company's product takeback program.
• Meet with Gritta Geffers to discuss pilot projects in Stuttgart including energy efficient construction and building rehabilitation (policies, processes, and practices) and education programs regarding energy efficiency.

Friday, April 24th

• Pedelec (Electric) Bicycle Tour. Pedelec supportors envision an electric bike program in Stuttgart similar to a cell phone contract--citizens will sign a contract, get a pedelec and pay between 25 and 30 euros per month. A network of battery exchange machines will make sure the bike is always filled up. The bikes could be offered at Call-a-Bike sites. This proposed program could provide an exciting new and affordable method of transportation for Stuttgart citizens that could be adopted in other cities.
• Tour Stuttgart 21. Stuttgart 21 is a rail project to build a new underground station in Stuttgart, crossing the southern end of the current central station. The plans include surface and underground lines connecting the station in Stuttgart's enclosed central valley with existing railway and underground lines, which would make it possible for regional trains to travel through the City without ending their journey.

Saturday, April 25th

• Return to Cleveland, Ohio.