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Brownfields Training,
Research, and Technical
Assistance Grant Fact Sheet
American Planning
Association
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. EPA
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants
through assistance agreements to provide training,
research, and technical assistance to facilitate
brownfields revitalization.
Organization Description
The American Planning Association (APA) brings
together 42,000 members—practicing planners,
citizens, elected officials—committed to making great
communities happen. APA is a nonprofit public
interest and research organization committed to urban,
suburban, regional, and rural planning. APA and its
professional institute, the American Institute of
Certified Planners, advance the art and science of
planning to meet the needs of people and society.
APA's research department is engaged in applied
research that results in practical information about best
practices in urban and regional planning in the U.S.
Bethel New Life, Inc., is a 28-year-old nonprofit faith-
based community development corporation, which
serves Chicago's Westside neighborhoods. Bethel has
earned a national reputation for cutting edge initiatives
Creating
Community-Based
Brownfields
Redevelopment Strategies
Grantee:
American Planning Association
Project Focus:
Training and Technical Assistance for Community
Development Corporations
Project Period:
October 2005 to September 2009
Project Description:
Creating Community-Based Brownfields Redevelop-
ment Strategies is a three-year initiative with the goal
of helping community groups in low-income commu-
nities develop a new set of "eyes" to see brownfields
sites as opportunities. APA's research department is
undertaking this project, working in close collabora-
tion with Bethel New Life, a Chicago-based commu-
nity development corporation (CDC) with extensive
experience in brownfields redevelopment issues. By
creating a workbook and training program for CDCs
and similar groups, the project team intends to provide
brownfields communities with a tool to empower
residents to effectively participate in brownfields
redevelopment and understand how different develop-
ment strategies will benefit their communities.
The training module is currently being tested and fine-
tuned with community groups across the country. The
end goal is to create a program that CDCs and plan-
ning departments across the country can use to
support the active involvement of their communities
in brownfields redevelopment. The final workbook
and training module will be released on the project
web site in late 2007. Additional training workshops
are planned for 2008 and 2009.
In addition to the workbook and training program, this
effort will also result in: a project web site; a resource
list; articles for APA-produced print and digital
publications, including a PAS Memo; an audio-web
training conference scheduled for May 2008; a best-
practices manual designed for planners; and educa-
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-07-243
September 2007
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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and pioneering approaches that build on the people,
physical assets, and faith of the community. Bethel has
been a part of the cleanup and redevelopment of
several brownfields sites in Chicago that provided
economic stimuli to a low-income community.
tional sessions at a variety of conferences, including
the APA National Planning Conference.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit the
EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/
brownfields or call 202.566.2777.
For further information about the American Planning
Association or their brownfields initiative, visit http://
www.planning.org/brownfields or contact Lynn Ross
at 312.786.6723.
For further information about Bethel New Life, Inc.,
visit: http://www.bethelnewlife.org/ or contact Mary
Nelson at 773.473.7870.
*The information on this fact sheet is subject to
change.
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