Research Summary: The 2022 demolition of the Redcar Blast Furnace marked the symbolic end of industrial Teesside. While the government frames this as a necessary step toward a green industrial revolution, my research investigates the real-world impact on the local community. By combining policy analysis with walking interviews at former industrial sites, my project challenges the narrative that post-steel towns are simply apathetic or ‘left behind’. Instead, I explore how residents struggle to hold onto their identity and sense of belonging when their physical landscape is erased. Ultimately, my work aims to inform just transition policies, showing that sustainable regeneration must integrate our industrial memory rather than trying to wipe the slate clean.
