Brownfields' Potential Role in Redevelopment of Distressed Neighborhoods

Abraha, Weintana Leah; Abraha, Weintana Leah

The Environmental Protection Agency classifies brownfields as “idle real property, the development or improvement of which is impaired by real or perceived contamination.” Though not incredibly descriptive, the broadness of this definition is appropriate; brownfields can vary in size, historical origin (e.g. former military barracks, industrial factories, decommissioned transit systems), and even planned usage for the future. These spaces were usually industrial and/or commercial, often serving a critical role in a community’s infrastructure or economy before falling into disuse. Decades after closure, these spaces are frequently environmentally hazardous and inhospitable for human function. Unfortunately, the businesses and communities most often affected by these environmental blights are in low-income and/or majority-minority neighborhoods.

Rehabilitation and eventual redevelopment of brownfields is not only possible, it has become a growing segment of urban planning efforts for more than twenty years. In 1995, the EPA started the Brownfields Program to provide funding for public and private developers’ cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields; hundreds of grants totaling nearly $190 million were allocated over the next decade. The positive impact of these rehabilitation efforts is not limited to environmental improvements; it includes a powerful economic growth in the immediate neighborhoods surrounding brownfields, with a particular increase to property values.

For brownfield redevelopment to fully benefit its community, it is critical that affected residents be directly involved in planning and implementation efforts. Otherwise, public space is not truly redeveloped or revitalized but gentrified, with isolating and often economically disenfranchising consequences for the very people it was supposed to help. Historically, even well-intentioned urban planners ignore the community cultural wealth available in distressed neighborhoods, particularly in majority-minority neighborhoods. In reality, encouraging civic involvement and building relationships with local actors can provide redevelopment with capital that would otherwise go unclaimed.

The poster will discuss the economic and environmental benefits of brownfield redevelopment sites across the US. There will be a cross-analysis of projects with significant residential leadership and projects with minimal residential involvement.

Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

DC Accepted Papers Paper: Brownfields' Potential Role in Redevelopment of Distressed Neighborhoods

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