This volume reflects the latest historiographical discussion about the decline, transformation, heritagization and re-invention of industrial cities in Europe during the late 20th century.

It argues that the notion of “mediation” as it has been used in the history of technology helps to shed new light on the processes of understanding changes of industrial cities before, during and after the economic crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. The contributors investigate how different actor groups, such as scientists, union members, journalists, politicians, artists, and historians, mediated the understanding of decline, the anticipated future, and the heritage of industrial cities. The authors look at a wide range of European cities during different phases of decline and transformation.

The book is aimed at scholars of urban history and industrial history, as well as contemporary European history, the history of technology, and deindustrialization studies. The contributions also resonate with discussion in neighboring fields such as urban studies, media studies, cultural studies, sociology and digital history.