Dear friends,

There are two types of urbanists: those who drive by an abandoned warehouse and think- what was life like? And those who drive by and think- what will life be like? These sites that motivate dreams of past and future are brownfield sites- often deserted due to environmental concerns. And they’ve been a hot topic of late. 

As of May, Biden’s administration has awarded over $315M to clean-up brownfield sites. This is of critical importance for post-industrial cities that have a disproportionally high number of brownfield sites. Redeveloping brownfield sites offers a sustainable pathway towards urban growth by leveraging existing infrastructure. 

Just a few weeks ago the EPA hosted the National Brownfield Conference in Detroit, highlighting urban infill projects that have reversed the trajectory of vacancy and abandonment. This month I’m building on that momentum and taking a look at some reasons why we should be developing brownfields and why we aren’t. 

Hope this gets you thinking,
Kate

A preference for greenfields

• When industry needs to expand, businesses seek literal “greener pastures”, leaving behind old buildings (sometimes contaminated by business processes not yet regulated for proper chemical disposal) [Journal of Urban Management]

• Brownfield clean-up costs can vary drastically, but there are growing incentives to support developers [Environmental Law Institute]

• The EPA is proposing that some forever chemicals be defined as hazardous materials, making brownfield development trickier [EPA]

Infill development is essential for a city’s bottom line

• Brownfield development strengthens a city’s tax base by bringing income and property taxes back to cities [EPA]

• You don’t need to build in the burbs: Detroit, Chicago, Milwauke, and Cleveland brownfield sites could absorb years of demand for residential, industrial, and office space [U of Louisville]

• Brownfield developments can increase surrounding property values 5-15% [U of Chicago]

Brownfield development is more sustainable

• A 1973 land use law could help Oregon incentivize infill development and disincentivize urban sprawl that’s led to risky developments in fireplains [Sightline]

• France and Germany are preventing new land takes by requiring greenfield developers to rewild brownfields [AEW]

• Redeveloping brownfields reduces vehicle emission growth by 25-33%. [EPA]

Cities in the News

• Silicon Valley elites are getting ready to build a new city [SF Chronicle]

• Virtual power plants that use rooftop solar, smart thermostats, EV chargers, home batteries could save billions in the next decade [Brattle]

• The hunt for a room-temp superconductor is reigniting hope for a carbon free grid and high speed rail [NYTimes]

• Subsurface heat islands are disrupting infrastructure networks [CityMonitor]

• Can lessons from mesoamerican urbanism teach us how to better cope with climate change? [PNAS]

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