Urban renewal marks an unprecedented period in Rotterdam's history. Starting in 1974, under the inspired leadership of urban renewal alderman Jan van der Ploeg, the municipality bought up neglected houses. In a few decades, some 70,000 homes were renovated or replaced with small-scale new construction. Building for the neighborhood' celebrated its heyday. The book Stadsvernieuwing in Rotterdam provides insight into the developments in five urban renewal districts between 1970 and 1990. But it not only looks back: it also examines the significance that the urban renewal of those days has for today's Rotterdam and how the approach taken then can also be valuable for transitions in today's city. The attention that these neighborhoods around the center received in the 1970s was primarily related to the harsh housing conditions. Today, the urban renewal districts are popular residential areas that are increasingly becoming part of "hip" Rotterdam. With attention to the Afrikaanderwijk, the Oude Noorden, the Oude Westen, Feijenoord, Noorder Eiland and Crooswijk and interviews with people involved at the time and current city planners.