k United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
BUILDING VIBRANT CO
UNITIES:
COMMUNITY BENEFITS OF LAND REVITALIZATION
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In 1998, EPA awarded its first Brownfields
Job Training grants. JFYNetWorks in Boston,
Massachusetts, used this funding to train
community members to become environmental
technicians.
Foreword
In 1993, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) launched a small pilot program called
"brownfields" with an initial grant of $200,000 to
Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Through this pilot, a seven
acre site was assessed and cleaned up, 141 jobs
were created, and two sites were created for healthy
new businesses. It also sparked a movement to clean
up and redevelop idled, underused, abandoned, and
vacant properties throughout the country.
Today, the EPA Brownfields Program has changed the
landscape of America's communities and transformed
once vacant properties into beacons of hope for many
economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.To date,
the program has provided more than 2,500 grants
totaling more than $600 million in direct funding
to communities, which leveraged an additional
$12 billion from other sources to assess, clean up
and reuse brownfields. This investment has yielded
more than 54,000 jobs - many in disadvantaged
communities. While these statistics are impressive,
there is also a broad range of additional community-
wide benefits that can result from the redevelopment
and reuse of brownfield properties.
This report highlights these other community
benefits and potential redevelopment opportunities
to create more vibrant, healthy, safe, and sustainable
communities. Specifically, the report highlights
the potential use of brownfields for agriculture and
food systems, arts and culture, housing and mixed
uses, and other community and civic uses such as
greenspace, schools, and health care facilities. Of
course, these benefits and the Brownfields Program
itself could not occur without our numerous federal,
state, municipal, nonprofit, and private sector
partners, who we highlight throughout the report.
The purpose of this report is to help us all rethink,
make new connections, and broaden our idea of the
resources available to clean up brownfields properties,
revitalize our communities, create new economic
opportunities, and improve our nation's environment
and health.
I understand that in today's economic conditions,
brownfield tools are needed more than ever to
clean up and redevelop brownfield properties for
sustainable uses that create local jobs. EPA has to
meet that challenge by working and listening to local
communities, fostering public-private partnerships,
and providing flexibility in our resources. I look to
you to challenge us as to how EPA and the Federal
Government can assist you to help revitalize local
communities.
Mathy Stanislaus
EPA Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Prepared under:
Contract No. EP-W-07-023
Prepared for:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
Washington, D.C. 20460
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BUILDING VIBRANT COMMUNITIES:
Community Benefits of Land R e v i t a I i z a t i o n
Table of Contents
Introduction iii
Section 1: Successful Brownfields Redevelopment 1
EPA Brownfields Program 1
Engaging Communities 2
Enhancing Sustainability 5
Community Benefits 7
Health and Environmental Benefits 8
Economic Benefits 9
Capacity Building Benefits 9
Neighborhood Benefits 10
Section 2: Brownfields Reuse Creates Community Benefits 11
Agriculture and Food System Uses 11
Arts and Culture Uses 17
Housing and Mixed Uses 23
Community and Civic Uses 31
Section 3: Summary and Looking Forward 38
References . . .40
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Brownfieid Community Case Studies and Partners Featured in this Report
Since 1993, the number of brown fields partnerships has grown exponentially to include
hundreds of federal, state, municipal, nonprofit, and private sector organizations, as
well as hundreds of communities across the nation. This report provides a portrait of
just a few of the many diverse partners, innovations, and resources that are enhancing
community benefits through brownfields cleanup and revitalization.
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American Planning Association
Private Investors
National Association of Realtors
National Endowmrntfor thr Arts (NEA)
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BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Center for Public
Environmental Oversight (CPEO)
Advisory Co i
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
O Notional Institute of
P, Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
•
National Trust for
Historic Preservation
National Association of Local Government
Environmental Professionals (NALGEP)
local Init rf Corporation (USC)
U.S. Conference of Mayors
U.S, Department of the Interior
Community Partners for Affordable Housing
National Conference of Black Mayors
City and County Economic
Development Agencies
National Forum for Btack Public Administrators
International Economic ' State and Tribat Environmental Programs
Development Council
U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Association of Slate and Territorial Solid Waste
Management Officials (ASTSH'M
NATIONAL BROWNFtELD A5SCXHATION
r..s i>-
Utiusim.
National Association of
Development Organizations (NADO)
It.S.
National and Community Foundations
International City/Counly
Managemenl Association (ICMA)
U.S. OKPAKI N1EIS! I Of AGRICTUL rU RE (USDAt
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Introduction
An abandoned factory, a boarded up corner gas
station, a run down mill. In communities across the
country, we see brownfields of every shape and size.
It is hard to miss the graffiti-laced walls, the broken
windows, the caved in roofs. It is equally hard to
dismiss the unknown environmental contaminants
and health hazards brownfields can pose.
Degradation often spreads beyond the boundary of
one property to blight an entire neighborhood or
community. Surrounding streets become stagnant
and unsafe. Concerns about safety and crime
rates increase. Residents and businesses move
out. Property values decline. Retirees, residents,
business owners, and employees that remain behind
may need to go further to access goods or services.
The inspiration and creativity that formed the
neighborhood's original vibrancy can fade away.
Fortunately, more than two decades ago, civic leaders
began working to reclaim their communities. The
nation embarked on an experiment in environmental
protection, involving aspects of environmental justice
and economic development, to address the growing
challenge of cleaning up and revitalizing brownfield
properties. Environmental justice advocates and
citizen groups rallied to reverse the decline of
neighborhoods. Cities, states, nonprofit organizations
and tribal nations responded, and public and private
developers saw a market opportunity. EPA began a
pilot program to provide seed money to catalyze this
movement, and other federal agencies retooled their
funding and assistance to aid the cause.
Brownfields revitalization has been successful—not
just at individual properties, but block-by-block and
beyond. There are hundreds of examples where the
clearing of environmental concerns at one distressed
property paved the way for the property to return to
productive reuse. We see dozens of examples where
blight is reversed with regeneration—where one
property's reuse spurs community-wide revitalization.
Sidewalks and streets are improved. Trees and flowers
are planted. New lighting is installed. A community
center gets refurbished. Businesses and residents
return to the area. The ripple effects can spread
through the community—fear and crime rates fall,
access to services and healthcare improves, property
values increase, a tax base is restored.
What is it that distinguishes one property cleanup
and reuse success from another, and what stimulates
change well beyond its original property lines?
What creates a safer environment and an economic
resurgence while creating a healthier and more
sustainable community? Answering those questions is
the next part of the brownfields experiment. Will you
be one of the next generation of brownfield leaders?
We hope this report motivates and inspires citizens,
developers, urban planners, non-governmental
organization (NGO) leaders, academics, policy
makers, business owners, and community
development, environmental, and health officials
to explore the possibilities. This report highlights
the important, yet sometimes less tangible benefits
that brownfields redevelopment can bring to your
community.
"A brownfield is a grain
of sand around which
the pearl of
community develops."
Clark Henry - Brownfields Coordinator,
City of Portland, Oregon
Redevelopment is underway at Portland,
Oregon's South Waterfront
m
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continued...
This report provides only a small sampling of the
many brownfield community collaborations—
through case studies and several anecdotal stories
as well as photos and external research—to give you
a sense of what is possible. We provide resource
links and information about innovative partnerships
to spur your imagination.
Join those communities that have reinvigorated
their land and built vibrant, healthy, sustainable
communities.
In addition to supporting and becoming involved in brownfields revitalization, you can
strengthen your community right now by doing the following:
Participate in a community garden
Volunteer with a local organization
Improve your home's curb appeal
Start a new business
Support your local farmers market
Meet your neighbors
Organize social activities on your street
Attend community events and meetings
Walk to your local park
Use public transportation
Celebrate your community's history
Work with community leaders on a
blighted property
Speak up for your neighborhood
Save a historic building
Help to create community greenspace
Participate in cultural activities
Support activities at local schools
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1. Successful Brownfields Redevelopment
Brownfield properties are diverse. They come in all
sizes—from a fraction of an acre to hundreds of
acres. They are located in urban, suburban and rural
locations. Some properties may have little to no
contamination, while others require cleanup to ensure
protection of the community and environmental
health. Contamination at these properties—whether
perceived or actual—can cause them to lay idle,
underused, abandoned or vacant; this can lead
to blight and disinvestment in neighborhoods or
communities.
This section provides a brief overview of the U.S.
EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
(OBLR) Brownfields Program and the broader
community benefits that can occur from brownfields
revitalization. This section also highlights the
importance of community involvement and
incorporating elements of sustainability to ensure
these broader community benefits.
EPA Brownfields Program
In many cases, brownfield properties remain vacant
or idle because of a lack of funding to assess or
clean up the property. In response, EPA's OBLR
provides grants to communities, states and tribes to
assess and clean up brownfields. OBLR also provides
grants to train local residents in the technical skills
necessary to become environmental professionals
that obtain jobs in local brownfields redevelopment
projects near them.
As shown in Figure 1, approximately 2,500 grants
have been awarded across the country since 1995.
In addition, these grants total more than $600
million in direct funding to communities, enabling
these communities to leverage an additional $12
billion from other sources to assess, clean up and
reuse brownfields.
In addition to the funding and support provided
by EPA's Brownfields Program, there are numerous
state, tribal, local, private and nonprofit partners
that provide funding and technical support to assess,
clean up and revitalize brownfield properties.
EPA Brownfields Program Grants
Figure 1: Since 1995, the number of Brownfields
grants awarded yearly has increased tenfold.1
A brownfield is a property affected by real
or perceived contamination that inhibits
redevelopment.
Land revitalization refers to the process
of assessing a property for contamination,
cleaning up contamination (if found), and
returning the property to productive use.
EPA's Brownfields Program has enabled:
• Assessment of more than 14,000
properties
• Cleanup of nearly 400 properties
• Creation of more than 54,000 jobs
• Employment of 3,300 Job Training
graduates2
Data current as of 8/24/2009
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"It offers a sense of
community pride...
if people feel they
have some input and
control in a project
like this, that is
planting a seed for
ownership in the future."
Tito Molino - West End Community
Development Council,
Bridgeport, Connecticut
As shown in Figure 2, the EPA Brownfields Program
and its partners have leveraged almost $12 billion
and created 54,000 jobs.
60,000
EPA Brownfields Grants
Leverage Jobs and Funding
8
8
Figure 2: As more brownfields are redeveloped,
more jobs are created for the community.3
Working together, brownfields revitalization partners
across the country have made a substantial impact
in terms of dollars invested and leveraged, properties
cleaned up and jobs created.
In addition to these measures of success, a variety of
broader community beliefs have been realized. Often,
these benefits are linked to brownfields revitalization
projects that successfully engage participation of
the community before and during the redevelopment
process.
Engaging Communities
Brownfield projects that receive government funding
require public notice and community involvement.
These communities reach out to and involve
stakeholders before, during and after receiving
funding to ensure success. Community members and
local stakeholders can learn, share information and
shape brownfields cleanup and redevelopment while
also fostering a new generation of community leaders.
By creating a dialogue among all stakeholders in
a brownfields project, community engagement
enhances the final reuse of the property and the
long-term success of the project. Individuals and
organizations also build lasting working relationships
and stronger community ties. EPA also recognizes
that community engagement is a vital process to help
alleviate environmental justice concerns for citizens
in economically disadvantaged areas and give them a
voice in their community's future.
Early community engagement may also identify
reuses preferred by local stakeholders to fill key
market gaps or provide needed services. For example,
residents may identify vital, but overlooked, services
in the community—such as a full service grocery
store, park, bank, senior housing or pharmacy that
may not otherwise be developed.
Successful community engagement results in
stakeholders identifying new ideas that gain
community support, minimize conflict and reduce
delays in project completion. All these factors can
save time and money for the property owner and
developer, and assure the long-term success of the
project for the entire community.
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Participating in the local decision-making process
empowers and inspires residents to continue
their public participation and address issues in
their community beyond the original brownfields
project. A community's youth is often a huge
source of untapped creativity that may provide a
fresh perspective on ways to address brownfields.
For example, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County,
New York developed the Brownfields Buster patch,
which is earned by learning about brownfields in the
community and suggesting ideas for redevelopment.
Youth involvement and engagement can also create a
new generation of community leaders.
The brownfields redevelopment process allows public,
community and private sector stakeholders to forge
new partnerships, and access new resources to
The more people and viewpoints represented in the
brownfields redevelopment process, the more information
communities have to identify the best property reuse. At
a Greensburg, Kansas, design charrette, residents work
together to develop a site plan.
support their project. This builds civic capacity and
helps strengthen bonds among neighbors, creating a
more tightly knit community.
This increased civic capacity provides the
groundwork for future neighborhood collaboration
and revitalization of the community. Learning about
and participating in local decision making can
inspire residents to remain engaged and address
other important issues in their community.
The following case study of Market Creek Plaza in
San Diego, California highlights a highly innovative
community engagement process that included a
community development initial public offering.
Community engagement experts recommend
that the process:
• Include the promise that the public's contribution
will influence the decision
• Communicate the interests and meets the process
needs of all participants
• Seek out and facilitate the involvement of those
potentially affected
• Involve participants in defining how they participate
• Provide participants with the information they need
to participate in a meaningful way
• Communicate to participants how their input
affected the decision4
U.S. EPA CARE Program
EPA's CARE Program helps to
develop community based solutions
to environmental issues. CARE grant
recipients engage all members of the
community and create local partnerships
to access a broad range of viewpoints and
services so that the entire community
decides how best to deal with its
environmental issues. Find out more at
www. epa. gov/care.
Through the CARE Program in Marquette,
Michigan, volunteers collect e-waste to prevent
improper disposal or dumping
-------
To find tools for public involvement,
visit www.epa.gov/publicinvovlement/
lnvolvement.htm.
For more information about the Jacobs
Center for Neighborhood Innovation, visit
www.jacobscenter.org, and for more
information about the project, go to www.
marketcreekplaza. com.
Neighbors attend a Market Creek
planning meeting
Case Study: Market Creek Plaza - San Diego, CA
Neighborhood group develops model for community ownership of neighborhood assets
In an area once known as the 'Four
Corners of Death' in the distressed
Diamond Neighborhoods of San
Diego, California, an abandoned
aerospace factory was transformed
into a community hub called Market
Creek Plaza. This mixed use center
has become a community focal point,
incorporating cultural traditions, arts
and entertainment—with a grocery store,
restaurants, retail shops and essential
services.
A major component of the project's
success was its in-depth community
engagement process. Resident working
teams partnered with the Jacobs Center
for Neighborhood Innovation to plan,
design, build, lease and now own and
operate the Plaza. Planning began with
800 neighborhood surveys, numerous
living room meetings, and several
community forums to assess what the
community needed. Top on the list was
a major chain grocery store, followed by
restaurants, entertainment and living-
wage jobs.
Local residents participated in eight
working teams to influence all elements
of the project, from community outreach
to building design. Residents were in
charge of developing and implementing
outreach and communication strategies.
This helped build capacity among
resident leaders as they mobilized the
larger community to participate in the
process.
The Community-Development Initial
Public Offering (CD-IPO) was launched in
2006, making it possible for community
residents to purchase ownership shares in
Market Creek Partners, LLC. To date, the
community owns 40 percent of Market
Creek Partners, LLC; the ultimate goal is
for 100 percent community ownership
of this project. Owning a part of this
innovative project generated a sense of
pride and accomplishment throughout the
community.
The reuse of this brownfield strengthened
community ties and established Market
Creek Plaza as a community gathering
place where neighbors can meet and enjoy
the fruits of their labor. Market Creek Plaza
is now a catalyst for local involvement and
other redevelopment projects. This process
serves as a model for other communities
and demonstrates the value of partnership
and the power of eliminating blight to
transform a neighborhood.
Benefits
• Involved 3,000 adults
and youth and eight
design teams in the
planning process
• Filled cultural, retail and
grocery market gaps
• Awarded $7.9 million
dollars in contracts to
minority- or women-
owned businesses
• 415 community
members and
organizations now own a
part of the development
• Created 200 new jobs;
70 percent of them filled
by residents
• Restored 1,400 linear
feet of wetlands
• Generated $42 million
in economic activity in
2008
• Paid a full 10 percent
annual return to Diamond
Community Investors in
2007 and 2008
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Enhancing Sustainability
EPA supports innovative projects that incorporate
sustainability into brownfields cleanup and
redevelopment. Sustainability is often defined
as meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.5 However, since the late
1980s, human resource use has exceeded the earth's
capacity to regenerate those resources.6 This means
that globally, we are compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their needs.
To reverse this trend and live sustainably, we must
reduce our impact on the environment, even as
we improve our social and economic conditions.
While this may be challenging, it is helpful to
think of sustainability as a process and not as an
endpoint. Many individual decisions to enhance
sustainability will combine to reduce our impact on
the environment and benefit the entire community.
The case studies presented throughout this report
highlight sustainable features incorporated into each
property's redevelopment.
Cleaning up and revitalizing brownfields inherently
enhances sustainability. Through brownfields
revitalization, property that was once contaminated
is cleaned up. Property that was previously
underutilized due to the perception or existence
of contamination is restored to a higher and better
use. And greenfields that may otherwise have
been developed are left untouched. There are also
approaches that can be integrated into brownfields
revitalization to improve sustainability.
Many brownfields partners and other organizations
provide technical assistance and guidelines to
promote more sustainable designs and features
into redevelopment projects. For example, the
Sustainable Sites Initiative is a joint effort by
the American Society of Landscape Architects,
the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the
United States Botanic Garden that establishes a
set of guiding principles for sustainability.7 This
framework helps to show sustainability as a process
for enhancing human welfare while reducing harmful
effects to the environment.
Many communities across the country revitalize
brownfields to remove environmental contamination
and contribute to long-term sustainability. Some
communities have made their cleanup process more
sustainable by reusing and recycling construction
For more information on the Sustainable
Sites Initiative, please go to their Web site
at www.sustainablesites.org.
At community gardens across the country, rain
catchers improve stormwater management
and double as public art. At one community
garden, children help to install a rain catchment
structure.
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kyber
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Did you know?
Greenfields and undeveloped land serve
as a carbon sink, offsetting more than 10
percent of our nation's greenhouse gas
emissions. Protecting these areas through
brownfields redevelopment is critical for
addressing and responding to climate
change.8
Built on a former brownfield in Newark,
California, Ohlone College Newark Center
for Health Sciences and Technology uses
sustainable elements such as photovoltaic solar
panels, geothermal heating and cooling, and
recycled materials in its eco-friendly campus
and demolition materials, while others make the
property's reuse sustainable by constructing green,
energy efficient buildings. In 2008, EPA initiated
16 Brownfields Sustainability Pilots to explore ways
to enhance sustainability by providing technical
assistance for achieving greener assessment,
cleanup and redevelopment approaches to these 16
communities across the country.
There are many ways to enhance sustainability during
the brownfield revitalization process:
• Green remediation practices that maximize the
net environmental benefit of the cleanup
• Comprehensive site planning that considers the
best use for the property, given its location and
condition
• Recycling construction and demolition debris
Reusing existing buildings, infrastructure, fixtures
and equipment
Using renewable and recyclable construction
materials
Building new structures or retrofitting existing
structures to be energy and water efficient,
such as those that are Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED®) or ENERGY
STAR® certified
Integrating green roofs
Improving stormwater management through green
infrastructure
Integrating native landscaping
Utilizing the property for environmentally
focused reuses such as transportation oriented
development, renewable energy generation,
wetlands preservation or organic farming
EPA Brownfields Sustainability Pilot Profile:
Houston, Texas - Solar Energy and Green Jobs
The City of Houston's EPA Sustainability Pilot helped
the city transform a former 300-acre landfill into a
solar power farm. Not only will this transformation
remove blight in a neighborhood just 10 minutes
from downtown Houston, it will revitalize the area,
meet a portion of the city's electrical needs, and
bring new green jobs. EPA provided a technical,
regulatory, and financial analysis of this planned
project, which showed the solar farm to be technically
and environmentally feasible. This analysis will help
Houston make the landfill redevelopment project as
sustainable as possible when creating and operating
the renewable energy facility. To see how these
practices can be translated to your community, visit
www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/index.htm.
The proposed solar farm
Photo from Google maps
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Community Benefits
As a brownfield is revitalized, a variety of benefits
can be realized throughout a community. A ripple
effect can occur that brings community benefits
for health, the environment, the local economy, a
community's civic capacity, neighborhood identity,
and neighborhood infrastructure. Figure 3 shows
how the ripple effect from brownfield revitalization
becomes a catalyst to spread community benefits
beyond the original cleanup and property.
"To go fast, go alone.
To go far, go together."
African Proverb
Community Benefits of Brownfield Revitalization: A Ripple Effect
n
PROPERTY ASSESSMEN
AND CLEANUP
Hal'laiHdai
In St. Paul, Minnesota, the immigrant Hmong
community celebrates the groundbreaking of a
Hmong funeral home on a former brownfield.
A funeral is one of the most sacred traditional
rites in Hmong culture, and this redevelopment
project provides the community a place to honor
its culture and heritage.
Lmr GREEN JOB
B CREATiON
Figure 3: The ripple effect of brownfields investment: Communities use brownfields funding to assess and
clean up their properties if needed. Through the property's revitalization, jobs may be created, contamination
may be reduced, blight may be removed, surrounding property values may increase. This may cause a ripple
effect of additional community benefits.
-------
Health and
Environmental Benefits
From brownfields to soccer fields - Atlanta
youth have a new place to exercise. Photo after
(above) and before (below) redevelopment.
Cleaning up a contaminated site reduces exposure
to contaminants not just onsite, but also offsite by
halting the migration of contamination into nearby
air, soil and water. To date, nearly 400 properties
have been cleaned up using EPA Brownfields funding,
helping to improve the health of the surrounding
communities and environment.9 The following
highlights the many health and environmental
benefits that are associated with brownfields projects:
• Exposure to contamination is reduced or
eliminated.
• Brownfields reuse is a proven smart growth
approach that has been linked with a reduction in
vehicle miles traveled which in turn improves air
quality and reduces associated health risks such
as asthma.10 Reusing a brownfield in an area with
existing development can enhance neighborhood
walkability by providing additional services close
to other amenities.
• Reusing brownfield property also eases
development pressure on greenfields, which are
critical for maintaining healthy watersheds and
providing forestry products.
• Pedestrian-friendly developments provide places
for residents to interact, enjoy the outdoors and
exercise.
• Sustainable redevelopment projects that include a
green building, permeable pavement, or additional
trees can reduce energy demand and heat island
effects while improving stormwater management
and reducing certain air pollutants.
• Using sustainable construction techniques,
equipment or materials to reduce material
consumption, water and energy use also improves
the community's environmental health.
• Health can be improved if a walking trail,
supermarket or community health clinic is located
on a former brownfield site; this can improve
access to exercise, fresh food or health care and
services that may not have previously existed.
• Turning a former brownfield into some form of
greenspace—such as restored habitat, wetlands,
parks, forests or trails—can improve the aesthetics
of the area as well as physical and mental health.
Residents can have a place for physical movement
and access to nature, which provides them with
physical and mental health benefits.
• Planting gardens provides access to healthy
food and reduces stress as they provide a calm,
restorative feeling shown to improve health.11
These less tangible quality of life characteristics
are often what define a community as a great
place to live.
• Planting trees can improve the feel of
communities while absorbing and sequestering
carbon, regulating temperature, and absorbing rain
or snow to reduce runoff.12 Trees provide shade for
buildings during the summer, which can reduce
energy bills by 15 to 35 percent compared to
streets that are not shaded.13
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Brownfields cleanup and redevelopment is a primary
driver for attracting investment and business to
communities that may otherwise be overlooked. With
environmental uncertainties addressed, property
owners face reduced liability and new incentives
for property redevelopment. The successful
transformation of one property may encourage
interest and development in the surrounding area.
Brownfields redevelopment also demonstrates
significant potential to generate new green jobs for
environmental professionals who assess and clean up
properties. EPA's investment in communities through
its Brownfields grants helped to leverage more than
54,000 jobs related to property assessment, cleanup
and reuse.14 The following highlights many of the
other economic benefits associated with brownfields
projects:
• Some types of brownfield reuse can create jobs
that increase local income and decrease poverty
rates in the surrounding area, thus providing
financial stability to residents. For example,
the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Redevelopment
Authority used its EPA Brownfields Assessment
grant to transform a former automotive part store
into a bioscience facility, creating 27 new well-
paying jobs. Johnstown has been successful in
transforming additional neighboring properties into
productive reuses, restoring an entire area and
bringing clean industry and jobs back to the city.
• Certain types of brownfield reuse can also create
green jobs. Architecture, design, engineering,
construction, agriculture-related, renewable
energy manufacturing, environmental services and
consulting, and energy efficiency companies that
locate on a former brownfield can all provide green
jobs.
• All types of new jobs create a multiplier effect:
workers spend more money in the area in which
they work, further boosting the local economy.
In addition, numerous studies have shown the
direct link between property improvement and the
increase in surrounding property values.15Those
who have been invested in the neighborhood for
years can benefit as their homes and businesses
increase in value. As property values and incomes
increase, the local tax base likewise increases,
potentially translating into improved services for
the community.
Enhancing the capacity building of individuals and
public, nonprofit and private organizations provides
long-term benefits to the community beyond a single
brownfield project. Improving social connectivity
gives neighbors the chance to get to know one
another and lays the foundation for future local
collaboration. Many of these benefits have already
been described on pages two through four of this
report. Other benefits include:
• Opportunities to foster environmental justice
Green jobs are positions in agriculture,
manufacturing, research and development,
administrative, and service activities aimed
at alleviating the myriad environmental
threats faced by humanity.16 Jobs
associated with brownfield revitalization
(e.g., assessment and/or cleanup) are
considered green jobs, as are the jobs
created through the site's reuse if they are
aimed at addressing environmental threats.
Residents participate in a Winston-Salem, North
Carolina Job Training Program funded by an EPA
Brownfields grant
Photo courtesy of Tim Brinkley
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Community capacity building provides an
opportunity for all people, regardless of
culture or income, to have equal access
to the decision making process.
Engaged communities build the social
capital to:
• Reduce crime
• Improve public health
• Improve educational opportunities
• Promote prosperity and economic
growth17
In Greensburg, Kansas, residents plan their
new green city after it was destroyed by a
tornado
by leveraging new investment and jobs in
distressed communities. It also improves the local
environment and provides a stronger degree of
protection from environmental and health hazards.
• Some brownfields redevelopments can provide
opportunities for enhanced education. In Shelby,
Montana, a Brownfields Cleanup grant will allow
a former high school to be redeveloped as a
community center, giving residents a place for
social interaction and education. The basement
of the building will also serve as a Head Start
and alternative adult education facility to serve a
wide range of educational needs. Those who are
educated and better informed are then able to
contribute back to their community.
The redevelopment of a single brownfield property
may be what a community needs to revitalize an
entire neighborhood. Physical improvements to a
redeveloped brownfield property can help redefine a
neighborhood and re-establish a sense of place. In
some cases, brownfields redevelopment can prompt
neighbors to improve their properties and create a
positive ripple effect throughout community. Other
neighborhood benefits include:
• Providing market-rate and/or affordable housing
is crucial to ensuring a stable, healthy and
accessible community. Brownfields redevelopment
has been linked with increased rates of home
ownership, which has, in turn, been linked to an
increase in characteristics such as educational
achievement, civic participation and well-being.
Brownfields often provide ideal locations to
integrate housing options close to other services,
which helps reduce vacancies, improve health and
strengthen neighborhoods. Redevelopment also
provides housing opportunities for those providing
local goods or services such as teachers, police
officers or nurses.
• Residential development that is coupled with
public open spaces (e.g., parks, plazas) provides
an opportunity for residents to socialize and share
information and learn about their community.
Simple landscape and building improvements
beautify a neighborhood, generate resident pride
and make it a more attractive destination for
activity and entertainment.
• Decreasing blight and increasing social
connections can help improve community safety;
there are fewer abandoned buildings where crime
can take place and there is more monitoring by
those who feel connected to and invested in their
neighborhood.
Greensburg, Kansas: Linking Disaster Recovery
and Sustainable Planning
The City of Greensburg, Kansas (population 1,500) and
Kiowa County were destroyed by a tornado in 2007. Since
this tragedy, the state and local government are rebuilding
a more sustainable future for the community. As the
community is being reconstructed as a LEED® Platinum
City, the entire neighborhood is being revitalized. Learning
from this example, other communities are linking disaster
recovery efforts with the need to create more sustainable
communities, including several in Iowa and others in Texas
impacted by flooding, hurricanes and extreme weather
events.
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2. Brownfields Reuse Creates Community Benefits
Turning an underused property into a community
asset creates a range of health, environmental and
economic benefits.
This section of the report highlights four major
brownfield reuse themes that provide widespread
benefits to communities. These four categories are:
agriculture and food system uses, arts and culture
uses, housing and mixed uses, and community and
civic uses. Case studies for each of these reuses
illustrate many of the community benefits, and
examples of organizations or resources that can
enhance brownfields cleanup and revitalization
projects are also highlighted.
Agriculture and Food
System Uses
Perhaps nothing connects us more to our local
environment, the seasons and our community than
the food we prepare and eat daily. Agriculture and
food systems have long played a dominant role in
shaping our economy, job opportunities, energy use
and where we live.
The emergence of an industrial and manufacturing
economy caused dramatic demographic shifts as jobs
were created in urban areas. During the post World
War II economic boom, the number of smaller farms
declined greatly as large-scale industrial agricultural
met an increasing demand to boost crop yields for
expanding domestic and export markets.
The rising environmental movement in the 1960s
and 1970s saw the beginnings of small localized
efforts to promote healthy, sustainable, locally grown
and organic foods. Many people rediscovered the
environmental benefits of smaller sustainable farms,
organic farming and local gardens. The recent energy
crises also highlight the connection between food
prices and fuel prices because of the fertilizers,
pesticides, energy intensive farm equipment, and
food transportation system needed to support large-
scale agriculture. Today's agriculture and food system
accounts for approximately 19 percent of all fossil
energy used in the United States.18
The growing awareness of sustainability and healthier
foods has piqued public interest and created a desire
to integrate food systems and agriculture back into
local communities. This interest is reflected in the
rising demand for land in urban areas to support local
food production, community supported agriculture
(CSA) and farmers markets. This movement to
support and strengthen local farms and reintroduce
food production into neighborhoods provides
increased demand for land near populated areas.
Brownfields redevelopment is a prime opportunity to
support agriculture and food systems because many
brownfields are small parcels of land within urban
areas that can be used as community food or flower
gardens, urban farms and farmers markets.
The need for locally produced food may be
particularly pressing in "food deserts," where
physical or economic barriers prevent access to
healthy food.20 In these areas, there are often no
full service grocery stores and few healthy food
EPA Brownfields-funded agriculture
projects include:
Bellow Falls, VT, Farmers Market
Glens Falls, NY, Farmers Market
New Britain, CT, Urban Farm
Sacramento, CA, Community Garden
Saginaw, Ml, Farmers Market
Farmers Market in Bellows Falls, Vermont
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Did you know?
• Food transportation costs add $113
billion to the cost of U.S. food.
• 120 million tons of carbon dioxide are
emitted from transportation of U.S. food
annually.19
• Developing local food, including those
on former brownfields, reduces the
environmental impacts from long
distance transportation of food.
choices available to residents. Figure 4 tracks EPA
Brownfields, Superfund, Resources Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA), and Landfill Methane
Outreach Program sites against food deserts in the
City of Baltimore that could be potentially used for
food production projects. Several EPA Brownfields
grantees used grant monies to assess and clean up
properties for use as farmers markets or community
gardens.
Across the country, there are many organizations
working to provide access to locally grown food.
In Detroit, Michigan, an organization called Urban
EPA-Tracked Sites Present Opportunities
to Address Food Deserts
Food Deserts
Unpopulated Areas and Parks
EPA-Tracked Sites
Major Highways
Figure 4: In Baltimore, Maryland, many EPA-
tracked sites are located in or nearby food deserts.
Redeveloping these sites for a food production or
sale may allieviate food desert conditions.21
Farming helped turn vacant land into gardens. After
testing the soil to ensure there was no contamination,
the Linwood and Gladstone Garden, one of the
largest community gardens in the city, was planted
and is maintained by local volunteers to provide free
vegetables to community members and local food
banks.
There are countless additional examples throughout
the country of reusing properties to grow and provide
better access for residents to acquire food locally.
Another example, "Plant a Row for the Hungry,"22
is one of many efforts to enlist home gardeners in
growing additional vegetables for donation to the local
food bank.
While not every property may be suitable for an
agricultural or food systems reuse, many small
urban parcels can serve as community food or flower
gardens, urban farms, farmers markets, and provide
additional environmental benefits. The following case
studies illustrate that brownfields can help improve
the health of a community.
Soil Sampling is Critical in Food Production Projects
All projects involving food production and gardening
should conduct Phase I environmental site assessments,
soil sampling, and testing before planting. Tests for pH,
organic content and key nutrients are needed as well
as potential environmental contaminants. Alternatively,
urban and brownfield gardeners may wish to grow above
ground hydroponically or in greenhouses.
It is important to ensure that soils are not only safe,
but adequate for growing. Soils can be reconditioned
for food production through the addition of organic
materials, leaf mulch, or food waste compost to increase
water absorption for better stormwater management soil
biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
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Case Study: Urban Oaks Organic Farm - New Britain, CT
Urban farm helps to create a safe, livable community
The City of New Britain, Connecticut,
laid the foundation for transforming
one of its poorest, most dangerous
neighborhoods by revitalizing a
brownfield as an urban farm and
community garden. Urban Oaks
Organic Farm, one of the first urban
organic farms in the United States
and the largest urban organic farm in
the Northeast, was developed in the
violent crime-ridden North Oak Street
Neighborhood.
In 1997, an EPA Brownfields
Assessment grant and an EPA Cleanup
grant in 2003 provided the initial
financial backing to assess and clean
up the three-acre urban brownfield
property. In addition to the EPA
funding, the project used funds from
the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Connecticut
Department of Economic and
Community Development, the City of
New Britain, and local foundations.
The farm serves as a source of
employment for the local community—
many of the farm's six full-time and
ten part-time employees are residents
in the North Oak Street neighborhood.
Additionally, each summer, Urban Oaks
invites 10 local teenagers to participate
in a 10-week, paid position that offers
hands-on organic and sustainable
farming educational training. The farm
provides ongoing education for residents
and school groups in organic gardening
methods, sustainable agriculture, non-
toxic farming techniques, composting,
and other environmentally-friendly
farming techniques.
To put this knowledge to practical use,
Urban Oaks created a one-acre, 30-plot
neighborhood garden where gardening
space, tools, seeds, water and
technical assistance are all provided
at no cost to gardeners. These
activities provide unique educational
opportunities for underserved inner
city residents to learn about farming
and gardening techniques.
New Britain Chief of Police and
life-long resident, William Gagliardi,
explained that, "prior to the cleanup
and redevelopment of the urban
brownfields located within the North
Oak Street neighborhood, violent
crime was at an all time high, the area
had more gangs per capita then any
where else in U.S. Many long-time
residents left the neighborhood—
while others stayed locked in their
houses. Today, the gang problem
has been greatly reduced—violent
crime is approaching zero percent,
while overall crime has been reduced
by 25 to 33 percent—which has
greatly changed the character of
the neighborhood. Folk who left the
neighborhood are moving back and
new people are moving in, residents
feel safe walking to Urban Oaks or to
visit a neighbor." This multi-year
brownfields revitalization project
helped restore the fabric of the city
and improve local safety.
Benefits
• Cleaned up a three-acre
urban brownfield
Provides walking access
to affordable, locally
grown organic produce
Provides hands-on
agricultural training
and education to local
youth allowing them to
connect with the land
Catalyzed neighborhood
redevelopment to
reduce crime rates
Provides a safe
community gathering
space that improves
"Shopping at Urban Oaks is a
social thing. Urban Oaks is like
a scene from decades ago, the
customers know all the farmers,
everyone greets each other, and
the food is fresh and chemical
free—besides, I like supporting
the local economy."
Local resident and
patron of Urban Oaks
-------
"It is one of the ironies of
urban agricultural development
that these former industrial
sites, often called "brownfields"
are in fact some of the best
choices for locating a new
urban agricultural business."
www. green sgro w. org
Flowers for sale at Greenserow Farm
Case Study: Greensgrow Farm - Philadelphia, PA
An urban brownfleld grows green
Established in 1997, Greensgrow
opened on a former industrial lot
in a Philadelphia, Pennyslvania,
neighborhood, which is a mixed use
residential-commercial-industrial area.
Greensgrow operates on the one-acre
brownfield site as a hydroponic garden,
starting with growing lettuce for
restaurants. Greensgrow has blossomed
in the 12 years since its conception,
with the property now hosting raised
beds of organic soil filled with
numerous vegetable and herb plants,
a farm stand and a nursery. Shoppers
can pick up peppers, squash, figs,
eggplants, lettuce, tomatoes and many
kinds of herbs just to name a few.
In the 1980s, a former steel galvanizing
plant closed, leaving behind significant
soil contamination and health concerns
in the community. In 1993, the EPA
Superfund program stepped in to
address the property. The building and
contaminated soils were removed from
the property, leaving only the concrete
slab foundation. Greensgrow selected
hydroponic gardens help to protect
human health and the environment
and preserve the concrete slab
foundation site cap. Once the local
Community Development Corporation
bought the property, they rented it to
Greensgrow for $150 a month, a rent
they still pay each month. This low
rent shows the commitment to provide
necessary beneficial services to the
surrounding low-income Kensington
community. Now with more than
10 employees and volunteers at the
property, Greensgrow continues to reach
more people in the community, as well
as the Philadelphia region.
Local residents are able to walk to
the garden to purchase fresh and
locally grown produce and plants,
creating a true community feel in
a space which was once tainted by
industrial uses. Greensgrow achieved
their mission of connecting city
residents with better food options
that are easily accessible and grown
locally. Greensgrow not only grows its
own vegetables and herbs onsite, but
also offers venues for the products
from other local growers. Additionally,
a nursery on the property offers a
wide range of plants and seedlings
and their beehives produce fresh
honey for consumers. While
Greensgrow offers a wide selection
of products onsite for community
members, some of the fresh, locally
grown produce also is delivered to
local Philadelphia restaurants.
As the garden has grown over the
years, so has its offerings onsite.
The staff offers special educational
sessions to teach about many aspects
of gardening including composting
lessons, bee-keeping, organic
gardening and green roofs. The staff's
most recent endeavor was to start
making biodiesel fuel out of old frying
oil retrieved from their local restaurant
customers during produce deliveries.
Benefits
• Cleaned up a one-acre
brownfield
• Provided access to
fresh, local, and
affordable produce and
plants to low-income
community
• Provided education
opportunities on
sustainable agriculture
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Community Benefits of
Agriculture and Food System Uses
Improved Access to Nutritious and Healthy Foods
Community gardens allow residents to grow fresh, local
and often organic food, leading to a better diet and
lifestyle that can improve public health and reduce
disease. Gardening can also increase physical activity,
something of great need in a nation where nearly two
thirds of urban residents do not have access to a local
park or open space for recreation.23 Lack of access to
nutritious and affordable food is a fundamental public
health and quality of life issue that can be corrected
through brownfield revitalization.
Increased Home and Property Values
Research in Philadelphia concludes that community
gardens and planting trees can increase or stabilize
the value of neighboring properties or rental income.24
This provides an additional economic incentive for
garden creation and tree planting reuses as well as
creating produce, flowers and greenspace. In St.
Louis, Missouri, areas surrounding gardens experience
increased home values;25 even those who do not
directly use the property are benefiting from its
effective reuse.
Improved Retail and Small Business Opportunities
In many urban areas across the county, and
particularly in low-income neighborhoods, many
studies conclude that there is a lack of full-service
grocery stores with fresh food. Residents in these
neighborhoods are less likely to own a vehicle and
must rely on the food retail locations that are within
walking distance. Instead, residents often go to
convenience stores which tend to offer foods of lower
quality and lower nutritional value and often at higher
prices. Brownfields revitalization can play an important
role in providing viable locations for grocery stores or
small fresh food markets, filling urban market gaps.
Improved Community Space
Gardens and farmers markets provide community
gathering spaces and are local economic engines,
allowing residents to interact and enjoy their
neighborhood, while also helping support local
farmers and the local economy. Communities
interested in starting a farmers market may be
eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
grants to assist efforts. In addition, state legislation
to support local agriculture has been proposed in a
number of states to meet market demand. A county
in Iowa has enacted policies to rebate 100 percent of
real property taxes to farmers who convert to organic
production, and to support local and organic food
purchases in county institutional settings.
Improved Access to Local Gardening
and Food Production
Increasing seed sales and membership in gardening
groups signal growing interest in agricultural
activities.26 Today, 71 percent of American
households engage in some type of lawn or gardening
activity27 and there are an estimated five million
organic gardeners.28 Web sites such as Sharing
Backyards link people with unused yard space to
individuals looking for a place to grow food. More
information can be found at www.sharingbackyards.
com.
Improved Opportunities to Meet Demand for
Organic Food
Since the late 1990s, U.S. organic production has
more than doubled, and organic food sales have
more than quintupled. More than two-thirds of U.S.
consumers buy organic products at least occasionally,
and 28 percent buy organic products weekly,
according to the Organic Trade Association. Organic
products are now available in nearly 20,000 natural
food stores and nearly three quarters of conventional
grocery stores.29 More information can be found at
www. ers. usda.gov/briefing/organic/demand.htm.
Community or neighborhood gardens
have been shown to help reverse
urban decline by:
• Increasing occupancy rates
• Increasing income
• Decreasing poverty rates30
Somerville, Massachusetts, used their
Brownfields Cleanup grant to help create a
community garden
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Lynchburg Grows, an urban farm in
Lynchburg, Virginia, helps to show the
importance of sustainable agriculture and
a healthy lifestyle. On the farm, successes
abound: since 2006, they harvested
1,500 pounds of fresh produce of which
700 pounds was donated to a local soup
kitchen; and they have seen annual
revenues increase from $8,000 in 2004 to
$250,000 in 2009.
Lettuce grows in one of the many Lynchburg
Grows greenhouses
Resources*
USDA Assessment and Soil Testing Resources
Communities looking to start community gardens can
benefit from the tools and resources available through
the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education,
and Extension Service. It can provide information
on agriculture, natural resources, community and
economic development, soil testing services, and
crop recommendations. Find your local office at www.
csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html.
EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) Funding
Communities can seek TBA funding and community
Brownfields grants to support property assessment
and cleanup before gardening or farming. Further
information can be found at www.epa.gov/
brownfields/tba. htm.
Community Food Assessments (CFAs)
Many urban and rural areas have conducted CFAs to
determine access to healthy and affordable foods. A
CFA may prove useful to identifying redevelopment
opportunities in brownfields communities. To
learn more, visit www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/
EFAN02013/.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service administers
several grant programs for local organic initiatives
and starting farmers markets. Identify grant
opportunities at www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0.
Food Security Guidelines
Food security and food insecurity are the terms
used to describe a multi-disciplinary approach to
identify whether individual families, the elderly
and communities have access to food that they can
afford. Communities interested in improving food
security in concert with brownfield revitalization
efforts can find information at www.ers.usda.gov/
Browse/view.aspx?subject=FoodNutritionAssistance.
Sustainable Food and Agriculture Guidelines
The Eat Well Guide, an online tool developed by the
Kellogg Foundation and diverse organizations working
to advance sustainable agriculture practices and food
systems, can be found at www.eatwellguide.org.
Quantifying the Benefits of Farmers Markets
Communities can quantify the economic benefits of
their farmers markets by using a tool called SEED
(Sticky Economy Evaluation Device) developed by
Market Umbrella, a New Orleans-based nonprofit
organization. SEED and other tools that may be of
interest to communities seeking to expand local food
systems and support small, local producers can be
accessed at www.marketumbrella.org.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
This program helps low-income people and families
buy the food they need for good health. More
information at www.fns.usda.gov/fsp.
The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
The Center works to develop and communicate
information about the interrelationships among diet,
food production, environment and human health.
One of the Center's current projects is the creation of
a geographic information system (GIS) Food System
Map of Maryland. Additional Resources can be found
at www.jhsph.edu/clf.
*The resources presented throughout this report are provided to supplement the content of the report. The information provided is not
meant to infer or imply any endorsement or sponsorship by EPA. The list of resources is by no means exhaustive, but is intended to
provide further assistance and information to brownfield communities.
-------
Arts and Culture Uses
Arts and culture play an integral part in shaping a
community's identity. Passed down from generation
to generation, a community's culture is woven into
its social fabric and reflected through its stories,
dance, food, language, literature, art, film, festival
and religious practices. Cultural locations and historic
buildings serve as places to connect, interact and
reflect.
Cities across America are now reexamining and
reinvesting in arts and culture as an additional
strategy to revitalize communities and neighborhoods.
By creating cultural hubs, art businesses are helping
cities redefine themselves, draw tourists and attract
public and private investment. In 2008, 81 million
Americans participated in an art or culture event.31
The nonprofit arts and culture industry supports
5.7 million U.S. jobs and generates $29.6 billion
in government revenue.32 Cultural resources are
considered an important reason why businesses
relocate to new communities, and a presence of
strong arts amenities can help recruit employees.
Communities that recognize the importance of public
art and support their local art and craft community
to create or restore attractive spaces help build
community character and a sense of aesthetic
appreciation.
Increasing interest in revitalizing distressed
communities through arts and culture can be
reflected in restoring historic properties and
abandoned buildings close to the urban core.
Brownfields redevelopment can provide a prime
opportunity to support and strengthen arts and
cultural activities since many properties are located
within urban areas.
Municipalities across the country have also enacted
ordinances that require a certain percentage of
building costs be used for public art, showing
the important link between incorporating art in
redevelopment projects. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
the first city to do so, requires that no less than one
percent of a building's construction budget be used
for art. The City of Philadelphia is also one of the
largest employers of artists, due in part to its mural
arts program which created 2,800 murals on the
vacant walls of buildings through the city—enlisting
community arts in the re-envisioning of their
neighborhoods.33
Community-based arts and cultural activities foster
creativity, self-expression and discovery of different
cultures, and a new way of experiencing community
and building social and civic capital. Several
Brownfields grantees have helped preserve historical
properties and prepare them for reuses such as
venues for festivals and performances, work space
for local artisans, and museums that express and
celebrate a community's heritage. The following case
studies highlight several brownfield communities with
successful arts and cultural development.
EPA Brownfields-funded
arts and culture projects include:
• Baltimore, MD, American Visionary Art
Museum
• Charlotte, NC, Design Center
• Louisville, KY, African American
Heritage Museum
The Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington,
was built on a former brownfield
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The National Park Service is coordinating
the preservation of Underground Railroad
sites across the country to educate the
public about their significance. The Mary
Meachum Freedom Crossing is a former
brownfield, and is now recognized
as a major historical treasure.
Brownfields redevelopment helps to honor the
importance of Underground Railroad routes
Case Study: Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing - St. Louis, MO
Community preserves ties to the Underground Railroad
The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing
was an under-used city-owned property
that was accepted into the National Park
Service's Underground Railroad Network
to Freedom Program in 2001. The
Meachum property is the approximate
gathering point of nine enslaved African
Americans seeking freedom by crossing
the Mississippi River from Missouri to
Illinois in 1855. This crossing represents
one of several notable escapes through
the Underground Railroad along the
Mississippi. As the first nationally
recognized Underground Railroad site in
Missouri, the area is a major historical
treasure and source of cultural pride for
the state.
Grace Hill Settlement House in
St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a
2005 EPA CARE grant. Grace Hill's
mission is to work in disadvantaged
neighborhoods, creating strong, healthy,
helpful communities by encouraging
and supporting neighbors as they help
themselves and each other. As part
of their efforts to improve community
health and well being, they used
$50,000 in EPA Targeted Brownfields
Assessment funding to conduct an
environmental site assessment at the
Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing in
hopes to develop the property into a
tourist destination. The environmental
site assessment revealed no
significant contaminants of concern
on the property, allowing development
plans as a tourist destination with a
riverfront trail and visitor center to
move forward.
The new Meachum Visitor Center
serves as a community gathering
place for celebrations and events,
and an educational center to learn
about St. Louis' unique history. It will
also teach visitors about the history
of the Underground Railroad and the
historic events that took place at this
crossing.
Located in North St. Louis City
along the Mississippi River on
the Riverfront Trail, the property
encompasses roughly 11 acres. This
area provides ample space to develop
an experience for visitors that evokes
the potential peril of the crossing for
the slaves.
This unique, engaging, community
resource will transform the riverfront
into a cultural destination and a
community center, allowing for
community engagement, education,
interaction, and growth.
To learn more about the
Underground Railroad routes, visit
www. nps. gov/nr/travel/
underground/detailedroutes.htm.
Benefits
• Assessment of 11
acre site revealed nc
contamination of concern
• Revitalized key
historic property
in a disadvantaged
neighborhood as a thriving
community center
• Creates a cultural and
tourist destination for
individuals interested in
learning more about the
Underground Railroad
Network
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Case Study: Essex Historical Society and
Shipbuilding Museum - Essex, MA
Essex celebrates its history as an important center for shipbuilding
The small town of Essex,
Massachusetts, located on the Essex
River, has a population of just a
few thousand people. It holds a
unique place in maritime history as a
shipbuilding hub. By the 1850s, over
50 vessels a year were being launched
from 15 shipyards making Essex,
North America's center for fishing
schooner construction. One out of
every 28 wooden vessels that flew the
American flag was built in Essex, and
its shipyards probably launched more
two-masted vessels than any other town
in the world. The shipbuilding industry
accounted for most of the small town's
revenue, embedding shipbuilding
into the town's cultural heritage.
Eventually, the inability to keep up with
technological advances in the industry
lead to several shipyard closures around
World War II.
In 1976, the Shipbuilding Museum
was opened in conjunction with the
town's celebration of the American
Bicentennial. The property adjacent
to the Shipbuilding Museum had a
long history of maritime shipbuilding
activities. The fear of contaminants
from the historic shipbuilding yard
leaching into the river basin prompted
the museum to apply for a grant from
EPA's Brownfields Program. The Essex
Historical Society and Shipbuilding
Museum (EHSSM), a nonprofit
organization, received $133,000 in
Targeted Brownfields Assessment
funding and a $200,000 EPA
Brownfields Cleanup grant in September
2005 to address soil contamination
on property it owned. Using the EPA
grant and a $250,000 contribution
from EHSSM, the cleanup of the
property began in November of 2007;
during some of this time portions of
the museum were closed. Following
cleanup, the museum reopened on
May 15, 2008.
The museum now receives hundreds
of visitors annually. The success of
the cleanup follows with the EHSSM's
mission of stewardship. The society's
520 members believe in preserving
the town's historical industry while
remaining conscious of its ecological
surroundings. The reopening of
the museum gave residents and
tourists access to the community's
deep historical roots of shipbuilding
culture that once was so prominent
in Massachusetts and New England
and boosted the town's economy by
attracting new visitors. The project's
success allowed the EHSSM to
continue to tell the story of the town's
impact on the shipbuilding industry
and maritime heritage worldwide.
Find more information at
www.essexshipbuildingmuseum.org.
Photo courtesy of Len Burgess
Benefits
• Cleanup of long-time soil
contamination at historic
shipbuilding property
The museum educates
hundreds of visitors per year
Stewardship and outreach
activities are conducted in
the community
"The greatest benefit is a step
in stewardship of the historic
shipbuilding site. Stewardship,
being a large part of the
[EHSSM's] mission, having the
site be cleaned for visitors and
not pose a threat to ecological
habitat is a very good thing to
have done."
David Brown - Essex
Historical Society
Essex, Massachusetts, celebrates its
shipbuilding history through brownfields
revitalization
Photo by Anthony Aneese Totah Jr
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Cleanup underway at the Durango Powerhouse
in Durango, Colorado
II III
in nine HIM
Case Study: Durango Discovery Museum - Durango, CO
Former power plant will be transformed into an interactive science museum
Durango, Colorado is home to the oldest
remaining alternating current (AC) steam
generated, coal fired power plant in
the world. Built in 1893, the Durango
Powerhouse provided AC power to the
city during its early development. The
plant operated until the mid 1970s,
when it ceased operations and was
boarded up with much of its original
equipment still in place. After sitting
idle for more than 20 years, the City of
Durango took ownership of the property.
The unknown contamination in this
historical building posed a challenge to
the city.
Meanwhile, the Children's Museum
of Durango (now called the Durango
Discovery Museum) was outgrowing its
current space. They contacted the city in
2002 with an interest in relocating to the
Powerhouse building along the riverfront.
The two entered into an agreement in
which the museum would raise funds
to pay for cleanup and redevelopment
of the property, while the city would
provide administrative and technical
assistance and lease the property to
the Museum for $1 per year. In order to
initiate cleanup, the city turned to one
of its partners, the Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment
(CDPHE). The city accessed CDPHE's
Section 128(a) State Response Program
funding to conduct site assessments.
These and previous assessments showed
the presence of asbestos, pigeon waste,
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),
and mercury left over from historic site
operations. Additionally, uranium mining
waste had migrated from an adjacent site
and also required cleanup. Cleanup of
the three-acre property, which included
asbestos and soil removal, was
completed in 2005.
The new museum is expected to open
phase II in the fall of 2010 and will
incorporate sustainable design and
showcase alternative energy systems.
To make the building environmentally
friendly, the museum also hopes to
run on 100 percent green power by
phase III of the project expansion.
Moving to this larger facility will allow
the museum to expand its science,
technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) education outreach across
the "Four Corners" region; the new
building will include a classroom or
learning lab dedicated to educational
programming. The museum exhibits
will celebrate the history of the
power plant through displays of
original power plant equipment
and information that highlights
the facility's historic role in energy
innovation. The museum will also
examine the future of power, allowing
visitors to operate a hydrogen-
powered race car and explore building
techniques that result in low utility
bills. The museum will provide a
hands-on environment for young
children, making interactive science
fun for all ages.
In addition to educating visitors,
the museum serves as an important
tourist destination for the city.
It will help to catalyze a larger
redevelopment of the city's riverfront
and downtown areas.
Benefits
• Contribute $3 million per
year to the Durango/La
Plata County economy
• Purchase 100 percent
"green power" to operate
the facility
• Educate approximately
65,000 visitors annually
at phase III completion
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Community Benefits of Arts
and Culture Uses
Preserves National and Cultural Heritage
Celebrating history and heritage brings a sense
of pride and accomplishment to a community.
Preserving historic buildings can be a way to maintain
the character of a neighborhood, so that future
generations understand local history. These and other
revitalization efforts pay tribute to the community's
history while paving the way for further community
improvements.
Spurs Community Revitalization
Studies show that artists are often early market
entrants whose search for work space can help
stabilize neighborhoods. Local communities assist
them by transforming abandoned buildings and
vacant lots into studio and retail space for theaters,
museums, galleries and cultural venues, spurring
revitalization beyond the brownfield property. Several
communities, such as New Orleans, Louisiana;
Seattle, Washington; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and
Parkersburg, West Virginia have created arts and
cultural districts. These districts attract business
investment and tourist infrastructure, reverse
urban decay, and stabilize and revitalize struggling
neighborhoods.
Drives and Sustains Local Economies
Arts and culture venues leverage additional event-
related spending by their audiences which is known
as a "multiplier effect"—and refers to how many
times money spent by a tourist circulates through a
community's economy. For example, when patrons
attend a performing arts event they may park their
car in a toll garage, purchase dinner at a restaurant,
and eat dessert after the show. The typical arts
attendee spends $27.79 per person, per event, in
addition to the cost of admission. Nonlocal audiences
spend twice as much as their local counterparts.34
Thus, valuable commerce is generated for nearby
merchants.
Increases Social and Civic Capital
Community-based arts and cultural activities promote
social interaction, create a sense of community
identity, build social capital, and support other local
organizations. Research found that individuals that
participate in art events are more likely to volunteer
and serve on community boards. Regardless of a
person's education level, gender or age, performing
arts attendance increases the likelihood of
volunteering by 25 percent.35
Creates Jobs
In 2008, the National Park Service approved more
than 1,000 historic preservation projects, which
created a total 67,705 jobs.36
Helps At-Risk Youth
Research shows that art prevention programs for at-
risk youth offer an effective and affordable alternative
to juvenile detention and police-centered crime
prevention. One such program is the community
arts program at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It offers art programs
to hundreds of children each year—90 percent of
whom get high school diplomas and enroll in college,
compared with the 20 percent of the community's
non-participating youth.37 Another art prevention
program, STARS in Fort Meyers, Florida, realized a
27 percent decrease in juvenile crime just three years
after the inception of the program.38Art programs for
at-risk youth decreased involvement in delinquent
behavior, increased academic achievement, and
improved youth's attitude about themselves and the
future.39
"The arts and culture is a
vibrant part of the real economy,
contributing billions of
dollars of economic activity
per year; $166 billion based on
the nonprofit sector alone."
Jeremy Nowak - President of The
Reinvestment Fund in his 2009
testimony before Congress, available at
www. americansforthearts. org
Fayetteville, North Carolina used its Brownfields
funding to help create the Airborne and Special
Operations Museum, which is open to the public
free of charge
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Did you know?
• There are more than 12,000 historic
districts across the country, and most are
located in areas with high poverty rates.40
• A federal tax credit for the rehabilitation
of historic buildings provides an
incentive for historical and cultural
restoration and preservation.41
• Revitalizing brownfields in historic
districts can restore a community's
culture and heritage where it is needed
most.
Resources
Arts and Culture Indicators Project
The Urban Institute's Arts and Culture Indicators
Project (ACIP) helps policymakers make better
decisions for neighborhoods and cities by providing
information about the presence and role of arts and
culture in communities. ACIP develops quantifiable
measures of arts and culture that contribute to quality
of life; the measures are available at www.urban.org/
projects/culturalvitality-indicators/about.cfm.
Center for Creative Community
The Development Evaluation Toolkit allows cultural
organizations to show the economic and social
benefits they provide to their community. Find the
toolkit at www.williams.edu/Economics/ArtsEcon.
A local artist paints a mural that will be displayed on a
former brownfield in Winsted, Connecticut
Photo courtesy of Judy Griesedieck
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Trust helps preserve the nation's historic places
and make sure they are properly integrated within
new developments. It also promotes preservation
and revitalization within communities. Learn more at
www.preservationnation. org.
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
NASAA is a membership organization that
strengthens state arts agencies, serves as a
clearinghouse for data and research about public
funding and the arts, and facilitates the transfer
of ideas and information. Learn how art impacts
community development at www.nasaa-arts.org.
National Endowment for the Arts and
National Endowment for the Humanities
These public agencies provide grants and resources
to bring arts and humanities into local communities.
Learn more at www.nea.gov and www.neh.gov.
Shifting Sands Initiative
Community arts organizations can use their
educational programming to help build bonds
between neighbors and strengthen communities.
Learn more about the role of arts and culture in
neighborhood development and capacity building
at www. cultureshapescommunity. org/index.
php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12<emid
=41.
YouthARTS Handbook
Americans for the Arts developed this handbook in
an effort to document the benefits of arts programs
on youth development. The handbook shares best
practices in implementing effective youth arts
programs. To access the handbook, visit www.
americansforthearts.org/youtharts/pdf/youtharts.pdf.
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Housing and Mixed Uses
As Winston Churchill noted, "We shape our dwellings,
and afterwards our dwellings shape us." There is
probably no other place that garners our attention and
imagination as much as our home. Our home may be
a city or town, but as a physical dwelling and family
residence, it becomes a fundamental building block
of neighborhoods and communities. Over the past
century, housing demographics shifted dramatically
—first from farms to urban centers, and then from
urban centers to suburbs.
By the 1950s, several major forces introduced an
era of suburbanization, which changed where we
live in America. The Federal Housing Administration
was created and its mortgage insurance programs
incentivized single-family home construction in
suburban areas. The post World War II economic boom
spurred a dramatic increase in automobile production
and large suburban developments. Rising incomes
fueled the "American Dream" of a bigger home in the
suburbs requiring a car for travel. Zoning was created
to separate incompatible land uses. The national
highway system was constructed, opening up new
areas for development.
In recent decades, new development has often been
located far from urban centers, surrounded by vast
parking lots, and disconnected from public transit
or even sidewalks. Figure 5 shows how almost 60
percent of our housing stock is composed of single-
family detached homes.
Nationwide, household size is decreasing and more
people are seeking alternatives to the traditional
suburban lifestyle. In addition, as the general
population grows in environmental awareness, green
homes are increasingly popular with home buyers and
renters.
Underlying this changing demand is great
opportunity: it is estimated that by 2030, about half
of the buildings in which Americans live, work and
shop will have been built after 2000.42 With so much
space yet to be built, there is a great opportunity to
reshape our communities right now.
Types of Housing in the U.S.
Mobile Home
5%
Apartments
25%
Single-Family
Attached
10%
Figure 5: The majority of residential buildings
available in the U.S. are single-family homes.4i
Brownfields grant recipients report plans to
address their community's housing needs
as part of their brownfields redevelopment
at nearly 300 properties across the country.
EPA Brownfields-funded housing
projects include:
• Elizabeth, NJ, Marina Village Housing
• Emeryville, CA, GreenCity Lofts
• Milwaukee, Wl, King and Hadley Property
• Swanton, VT, Habitat for Humanity
Housing
EPA Brownfields-funded mixed use
projects include:
• Hennepin County, MN
• Lakewood, CO, Villa Italia Mall
• Salt Lake City, UT, Gateway District
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What is affordable housing?
There is a critical shortage of affordable
housing because housing prices have
increased since 1990, while incomes have
not. Finance professionals recommend
that people spend 30 percent or less than
their income for housing. Nearly one in five
American households now spends more
than half their monthly income in rent or
mortgage payments.
Why do we need diverse
housing options?
An array of safe, decent and affordable
housing options provides opportunities
for people at all income levels to stabilize
their income and create a home for their
families. Stable housing can improve
school performance, work and social
behavior, and allow a family to invest in
its health, neighborhood and future.
To meet changing preferences and demographics,
a greater variety of housing choices will be
needed: homes that are all shapes, sizes, levels of
affordability, levels of accessibility and location.
Expanded housing variety also strengthens
communities by allowing people of all different
backgrounds, educational levels and income levels
to live among one another. Incorporating affordable
housing and units that meet universal design
standards ensures accessibility by all community
members, and allows residents to 'age in place'
where their family or social networks remain.
Brownfields revitalization can help address our
housing challenges because many brownfields are
located in historic, older or historically low-income
neighborhoods. Located near existing services and
infrastructure including transit, brownfields may offer
prime locations for residential construction, higher
density housing, transit oriented development and
mixed uses.
Communities that locate housing close to other
services provide opportunities for residents to walk
or bike to access services, reducing the need to
drive and its associated environmental and public
health impacts (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, air
pollution, noise, traffic injuries). New homes may be
more resource efficient and can reduce energy usage
and greenhouse gas emissions. As shown in Figure
6, 22 percent of national energy consumption comes
from residential properties.
Housing and mixed uses can further enhance
sustainability by integrating green buildings that
are energy and water efficient, using permeable
pavement for parking lots and sidewalks, or
integrating green infrastructure such as rain gardens
to reduce the impacts of stormwater.
As brownfields are revitalized for housing and mixed
uses, it will be important to ensure that people who
already live in the area are not displaced. At the
same time, brownfield revitalization may create new
opportunities for homeownership and wealth creation
while expanding transitional housing and shelters for
those without homes, including veterans and other
vulnerable populations.
Instead of being a place people avoid, a brownfield
revitalized for housing and mixed uses can become a
place people call home. And that may be the biggest
transformation of all. The following case studies
highlight the creation of sustainable housing options
that make communities truly livable.
Annual U.S. Energy Consumption
Figure 6: Commercial and residential buildings
account for 40 percent of national energy
consumption. Energy efficient buildings
represent a tremendous potential to reduce
national energy consumption.44
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Case Study: The Watershed at Hillsdale - Portland, OR
Diverse housing and mixed uses are provided to local residents in need
The Watershed is located in the
Hillsdale area of southwest Portland,
Oregon. From the turn of the century
until the 1950s, the property was part
of the Fulton Park Dairy. In addition, a
portion of the property served as a rail
stop, followed by an auto wrecking yard,
and gas fueling station, before being
vacant for nearly 20 years. In 2005 an
EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant allowed
Community Partners for Affordable
Housing (CPAH) to address petroleum
contamination on the property. After
entering the Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality Voluntary
Cleanup Program and excavating all
petroleum contaminated soil necessary
for redevelopment, the revitalized
brownfield now provides affordable
housing for veterans and seniors.
The Hillsdale neighborhood, involved
and supportive of the Watershed
project since 2001, worked with
business leaders in naming the
building and raised funds for lighting
the sign and tower and installing a
public water fountain. It was named
Watershed because it is located
between the Tualatin and Willamette
River watersheds, at the headwaters
of Stephens and Fanno Creeks. It is
also designed to sensitively handle
stormwater onsite. And finally, its name
reflects the "watershed moment" in the
neighborhood, as the property was one
of the last pieces of buildable land and
now serves as a community gateway.
The Watershed is a smart growth,
mixed use, sustainable redevelopment
consisting of 51 affordable senior
housing units, eight units designated
specifically for formerly homeless
veterans, and 40 units available
to those with incomes at or below
50 percent of the median. To
provide additional benefits to the
community, the project includes a
2,000-square foot community center
and approximately 3,200 square
feet of market rate office/commercial
condominium space. This project
knits together development in the
Hillsdale Business Center with an
expanding commercial node on the
west side of Bertha Boulevard and
helps neighborhood residents to cross
a busy intersection to board buses
and reach local businesses with the
incorporation of a full-block crossing
signal.
The Watershed project incorporates
several innovative green building
techniques and building materials
that minimize life-cycle costs.
Innovations include a high-efficiency
central hot water boiler, durable
building envelope materials, highly
energy-efficient windows, and an
innovative heat-recovering ventilation
system. Storm water is detained onsite
and is naturally pretreated to improve
water quality in nearby watersheds.
The project received a LEED® silver
rating.
Benefits
• Cleaned up an
underutilized community
gateway property
and connected the
neighborhood's residential
and commercial features
through mixed use
development
• Multi-year community
engagement process
fostered personal
connections and pride in
the community
• Met a demand for
increased diversity in
housing including senior
housing, veteran housing
and affordable housing
units
• Community center
provides central gathering
area for local residents to
connect
• Green building features
offer energy efficiency
and lower utility bills for
residents, while enhancing
local sustainability
"The units have been filled
by a mix of seniors with
ties to the neighborhood
and those who are now
establishing new roots in
the neighborhood.
For the surrounding area,
the residents have added
vibrancy. New volunteer
opportunities have emerged for
those who seek contact with
seniors, and many of the seniors
are volunteering."
Sheila Greenlaw-Fink - Community
Partners for Affordable Housing
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The Rheingold Brewery was once an important
part of Brooklyn's commercial activity
Case Study: Rheingold Brewery - Brooklyn, NY
Former industrial center becomes home for hundreds of families
The Rheingold Brewery, founded in
1883, operated from 1890 until 1976
in the Bushwick neighborhood of
Brooklyn, New York. Along with 13 other
breweries, Rheingold Brewery helped
turn the area into a center for American
brewing for nearly 30 years. Once the
official beer of the New York Mets,
Rheingold supplied roughly 35 percent
of New York City's beer from 1920
through the 1940s.
The restructuring of American brewing
business prompted the closure of
neighborhood breweries in Bushwick
in the late 1970s. The neighborhood
continued to decline for decades
until an affordable housing developer,
local nonprofit organizations and the
federal government began investing in
Bushwick's revitalization.
A design workshop in 2000 joined
international architects and planners
with local community leaders to develop
a design concept for the property.
Remediation and redevelopment began
in 2002, and contaminated soil was
removed from the property. With the
help of a host of partners, this property
was successfully redeveloped as housing
and mixed use spaces, which was much
needed in this working class community.
The first phase of development focused
on homeownership, and was one of
the first neighborhood redevelopment
projects to do so. The finished project
consists of 272 rental units, 88 co-
ops, 30 condominiums, 58 two-family
houses, and four three-family houses, all
of which are affordable. An additional
50,000 square feet of office and
community space includes a senior
center.
To ensure this new development
further benefited the community
by enhancing sustainability,
the developer chose to use
environmentally-responsible building
materials. Also, solar panels installed
on the roofs of the apartment
buildings provide electricity to the
common areas and there is a green
roof on top of the rental apartment
building.
The ripple effect from this
redevelopment became evident as
storefronts were cleaned up, new
trees were planted and property
values of local property owners
increased across the community. The
project received the Phoenix Award
for brownfields redevelopment in
2005 and the John M. Clancy Award
for Socially Responsible Housing
in 2009; these awards recognized
both the successful brownfields
revitalization, and the services
provided to the community.
Benefits
• Revitalized a 6.7-acre
brownfield in the heart of an
urban neighborhood
• Engaged city and state
officials and local residents
in the planning process to
develop a reuse plan that
met community needs
• Provides affordable housing
for first-time homebuyers
and a diversity of housing
options
• Spurring ongoing community
reinvestment and
revitalization
• Enhances sustainability
through renewable energy
generation, the use of green
building materials, and
a green roof to improve
stormwater management
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Case Study: Cedar Grove Apartments - Sanford, FL
Transforming a vacant eyesore into a home for independent seniors
After Seminole County, Florida, saw
an approximately 50 percent increase
in residents 75 years or older between
1990 and 2000,45 the Center for
Affordable Housing recognized the
serious need for senior rental housing.
Working within their mission to develop
safe and affordable housing for the
lower-income residents of Central
Florida, the Center sought a property to
purchase for senior housing units. In
2006, the Center identified the former
Freeman property in Sanford, Florida, as
an affordable option which fit the zoning
needs of the project. The property
was a former laundry facility, which
sat vacant for nearly 30 years. The
overgrown, vacant property stood out as
an eyesore in the mixed use, residential-
commercial neighborhood.
With EPA State and Tribal Response
Program funding, the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection
conducted site assessment and source
removal activities to assist the Center
for Affordable Housing in developing
affordable housing options for the senior
community. Completed in 2008, Cedar
Grove Apartments contains single floor
units, two of which are handicapped
accessible, and the remaining units
are designed for seniors (e.g., roll in
showers, no tubs). Seven single elderly
residents currently occupy the property.
By creating a safe and affordable
housing option through this project,
seniors in the area were finally offered
an alternative to assisted living
facilities.
Benefits
• Redeveloped a contaminated parcel that was vacant and neglected for
nearly 30 years in the middle of a mixed use neighborhood
• Created safe and affordable housing, designed specifically with
seniors in mind
• Increased the local diversity of housing options to meet the needs of
changing community demographics
• Increased the independence of seniors by locating housing near other
Did you know?
By 2030, one out of five people in the
U.S. will be age 65 or older.46 As they age,
many will experience illness and changes
in their sight, hearing and physical
abilities which may require adaptation in
their physical environment to live safely.
Homes and public spaces that adopt
Universal Design principles can support
seniors and residents of all ages to
navigate space safely.
Creating safe and affordable housing for seniors
offers more options to a growing retirement
population
Photo by Gary T Alton
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Adaptive reuse of well-located and
culturally or historically important sites
can yield neighborhood, environmental,
economic, and community benefits, as
shown by the revitalization of the former
Falstaff Brewery.
The weather beacon atop Falstaff's tower
provided local weather forecasts by using
colored and flashing lights
Case Study: Falstaff Brewery Apartments - New Orleans, LA
Abandoned brewery is transformed into housing
The Falstaff Brewery operated in the
Mid-City area of New Orleans since
the early 1900s. The property laid idle
for nearly 30 years since its closure in
1978. Although it was deteriorating,
this seven-story building still bore its
neon "Falstaff" sign - a neighborhood
landmark.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina,
New Orleans residents faced daunting
challenges in rebuilding their city. To
make the city strong once again, the
Regional Planning Commission for the
New Orleans metropolitan area and local
developers are investing in traditionally
low income areas to build affordable
and environmentally-friendly housing. A
former brownfield was cleaned up with
EPA's help and brought back to life as
affordable housing.
The Regional Planning Commission
used EPA Brownfields funding to
conduct an environmental site
assessment on the eight-acre property
in August 2005. The developer,
Falstaff Associates I LLC, then
purchased the property and addressed
asbestos, lead-based paint, and solid
waste throughout the building. The
Falstaff site received clearance from the
Louisana Department of Environmental
Quality following cleanup of the historic
facility.
The developer converted the building
into one-, two- and three-bedroom
apartments. By preserving the
structure and the iconic "Falstaff"
sign, the redevelopment was able to
celebrate the neighborhood's history,
while making critical strides in
renewing the City of New Orleans.
Nearly half of the 147 apartments
are reserved for households that fall
below the city's median income.
Residents began moving into the
building in March 2008 and it is
now 95 percent occupied. The
project is spurring redevelopment
of the surrounding area, as
construction of additional apartment
complexes is underway throughout
the neighborhood. This is one of
the first redevelopment projects
to be completed in New Orleans
since Hurricane Katrina. Residents
enjoy a rooftop terrace and retail
courtyard, and a beer garden is in
the works, paying tribute to the
property's past use.
Benefits
Provides 147 apartments for
low- and moderate-incomp
families
Enhanced site sustainability
by using existing structures
to minimize waste created by
demolition
Helping to enhance anc
strengthen the commu
fabric of New Orleans
Retained local culture
through adapative reuse
commmunity landmark
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Community Benefits of
Housing and Mixed Uses
Increased Variety of Housing Options
Providing a variety of housing options within a
community brings a range of benefits. It allows people
of all income levels to live in the same neighborhood,
which allows for a more diverse population. More
housing options provide opportunities for people to
maintain their community ties as they move through
different life phases of life. For example, with enough
housing diversity, someone could live in the same
neighborhood when they are single, part of a couple,
raising a family, downsizing after having a family,
and possibly aging in place. Without housing choice,
people are pushed into leaving a neighborhood in
which they have close social ties.
Providing Homes to Those in Need
Communities require an adequate stock of affordable
housing to ensure that residents can afford to
own or rent a home. Redevelopment projects that
address the needs of low-income, elderly or special
needs individuals can build more interconnected
communities and create new opportunities for
groups that are often disenfranchised. Brownfields
redevelopment projects across the nation have
increased affordable housing to reach low- or
moderate-income residents.
Mixed Uses Improve Health and Quality of Life
In addition to creating affordable or senior housing,
brownfields can be used to site mixed uses. For
example, larger residential complexes or brownfields
located at infill sites can be developed as mixed use
spaces, encouraging more sustainable communities
and minimizing environmental impacts because
residents can walk to commercial areas instead of
driving to them. These walkable communities can
generate both environmental and public health
benefits as people choose to walk rather than drive.
Households in city centers not only have shorter
commutes, but drive less for non-work activities.47
Enhanced Sustainability
Residential buildings themselves may incorporate
energy efficiencies, store and manage stormwater
runoff, or generate power through solar panels on
the roof to reduce electricity use and help save
homeowners money on their utility bills. Residential
redevelopments planned on a larger scale can follow
smart growth principles that encourage residents to
live environmentally sustainable lifestyles.
Improve Healthy Housing Stock
The National Center for Healthy Housing estimates
5.7 million families live in substandard housing,
which cause significant illness, injury and deaths.48
A range of public health problems, including lead
poisoning and asthma has been linked to older
housing in poor condition. Cleaning up brownfield
areas can improve the value of and income generated
from the reused site as well as adjacent and nearby
properties. In addition to strengthening the tax base,
this provides additional incentives and resource
opportunities for local government, public and private
property owners to improve their property conditions,
leveraging economic and public health benefits for
owners, residents and neighbors alike.
Economic Impacts of New
Housing Projects
The estimated one-year local impacts
of building 100 single-family homes in
a typical metro area, according to the
National Association of Home Builders,
include:
• $21.1 million in local income
• $2.2 million in taxes and other revenue
for local governments, and 324 local jobs
In contrast, the estimated one-year local
impacts of building 100 rental apartments
in a typical metro area include:
• $7.9 million in local income
• $827,000 in taxes and other revenue for
local governments, and 122 local jobs
For more information, go to the National
Association of Home Builders Web site to
see a recent report on the local economic
impact of home building at www.nahb.org/
fileUpload_details.aspx?contentTypelD=3&
contentlD=35601&subContentlD=219188.
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Using EPA and HUD funding, a deteriorating
building in Miles City, Montana was
transformed into affordable housing
Resources
Community Development Block Grant
This U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) program gives grants to cities
across the nation to assist communities with all
the challenges addressed earlier in this section-
affordable housing, vulnerable populations, and
viable urban centers. For more information, visit
www. hud. gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/
programs/index, cfm.
Habitat for Humanity
Founded in 1976 as a nonprofit organization seeking
to eliminate poverty and homelessness, Habitat has
provided affordable housing for more than 1.5 million
people around the world. Volunteers help construct or
rehabilitate homes for low-income families that apply
for the program, and Habitat plans to build 5,000
green homes for low-income families. Habitat's
experience building new structures on idle land or
refurbishing dilapidated structures in low-income
neighborhoods makes it an excellent resource for
Brownfields grant recipients. For more information,
visit www.habitat.org.
Rebuilding Together
This nonprofit helps preserve communities through
safe and affordable housing. The organization focuses
on properties that are most affected by our nation's
housing challenges, such as seniors, veterans, the
disabled or victims of natural disasters. With a focus
on revitalization and green building, Rebuilding
Together is making a difference across the country. To
learn more, visit www.rebuildingtogether.org.
The Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental
Access and the Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Center on Universal Design at Buffalo
The Research Center on Universal Design at Buffalo
makes environments and products more usable,
safer and healthier in response to the needs of an
increasingly diverse population. For links to a variety
of development-oriented tools and organizations, visit
www. ap. buffalo. edu/idea/Links/index. asp.
EPA's Smart Growth Program
The program seeks to "expand economic opportunity,
protect public health and the environment, and
create and enhance the places that people love."
The EPA Smart Growth Program provides research,
grants, technical assistance, and information to help
local communities employ smart growth principles as
they shape the communities of tomorrow. For more
information, visit www.epa.gov/dced/index.htm.
Smart Growth America
Member organizations share the common goals of
historic preservation, revitalization, and maintaining
affordability in our nation's communities. Smart
Growth America provides various resources
to coordinates development, transportation,
revitalization of older areas and preservation of open
space and the environment. To learn more and find
resources, visit www.smartgrowthamerica.org.
Policy Guide on Smart Growth
The American Planning Association offers
recommendations for planning transportation and
land use, social equity and community building,
and environmental protection and land conservation.
Find the recommendations at
www.planning. org/growingsmart/index. htm.
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Community and
Civic Uses
TTT
While street boundaries can physically define a
neighborhood, it is the shared places for community
and civic engagement that can actually create a
sense of community. These places can be created
when a property's new use expands greenspace for
new community and civic uses such as parks, trails
and picnic areas; or for new civic amenities such as
libraries, schools, hospitals, health clinics, tourism,
mass transit, job training centers and even places
of worship. The creation of simple, clean and safe
public open space or a neighborhood civic building
from a brownfield can dramatically alter community
perceptions and generate positive momentum that
leads to area-wide transformation.
Redevelopment options that link community and
civic destinations to citizens can create more
sustainable neighborhoods that reduce the need for
cars. For example, trails, sidewalks, bikeways and
roads that create better linkages across a community
provide a multitude of options for people to use to
"run" their everyday errands.
Adding greenspace in the form of parks, playgrounds,
athletic field, trails or vegetation—such as native
trees, shrubs and other plants—can improve
stormwater management, reduce the 'heat island'
effect, improve air quality, and provide recreation
space for residents. It can also provide a venue for
increasing physical activity through more exercise
and recreation.
Today, there is a growing recognition of the role
that land use plays in many pressing issues, from
water quality, to greenhouse gas emissions, sprawl,
and even public health. Brownfields revitalization
enhances sustainability by enabling the creation of
more sustainable and energy-efficient cities, towns
and neighborhoods.
Community and civic uses may also include transit
centers for buses, trolleys, subways, light rail or other
forms of transportation. Transportation currently
contributes about 28 percent of the United States'
total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—and emissions
from transportation are growing faster than other
sectors, representing almost half of the increase in
total GHGs between 1990 and 2006.49 We can slow
and even reverse this trend by shifting travel from
automobiles to transit. In fact, reducing the daily use
of one low occupancy vehicle and using public transit
can reduce a household's carbon footprint between 25
and 30 percent.50
Moreover, community and civic uses such as schools,
health facilities, libraries and places of worship can
provide essential physical space where residents
meet one another and find common ground. These
spaces often provide a network of connections
among residents that enable the social glue of a
community to form. In addition, brownfields located in
neighborhoods that are underserved by critical human
services, such as health care, can be redeveloped to
provide these needed services. Incorporating these
uses into larger redevelopment plans not only makes
a project more successful, but can lead to broader
community benefits. It can increase pedestrian traffic
to other nearby services, promote commerce and
economic development, and spur increases in adjacent
property values, which leads to greater tax revenue.
The following case studies highlight the possibilities
for sustainable brownfields redevelopment to enhance
community and civic life.
EPA Brownfields-funded community
and civic projects include:
• Culver City, CA, dog park
• Lancaster County, PA, Grace Lease Park
and Roberto Clemente Park
• Marrero, LA, Progressive Church Family
Life Center
Did you know?
EPA provided supplemental grant funds
between the late 1990s to 2003 for
Brownfields Assessment grantees with
greenspace components in their reuse
plans. These incentives led to nearly 400
brownfields redeveloped to include a
greenspace component.
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"At the edge of a former
landfill, the new Morris -
1 st Source Scout center will
create an enduring legacy that
highlights the importance of
environmental stewardship
and nurtures young people to
become the future leaders of
our community."
Stephen Luecke - South Bend Mayor
Case Study: Fredrickson Park - South Bend, IN
From garbage to gorgeous: reusing a landfill as park space
This former landfill in South Bend,
Indiana, was revitalized as a park and
as a community center. Fredrickson
Park is now a favorite location within
the community, particularly with the
area's youth. University of Notre Dame
students use the facilities to teach
kids about environmental issues, act
as Den Leaders for boy scout troops,
and conduct field trips that teach
elementary school children about
the park's flora, fauna and overall
ecosystem. Community reception to
the new park has inspired similar area
plans, including an adjacent, 2.5-acre
parcel of land designated as a future
picnic area.
Located just a few blocks from the
University of Notre Dame campus,
this 2.65-acre, former landfill sat idle
for years. After acquiring the property,
South Bend funded assessments that
revealed the presence of polyaromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other metals
in the soil.
An EPA Brownfields Revolving
Loan Fund grant awarded to the
city in 2004 helped to remove
contamination and prepare the
property for reuse. However, rather
than opting solely for commercial or
residential redevelopment, the city
opted to set aside the majority of the
property—nearly two acres—as a new
park. Native grasses and flowers were
planted on the property, and walking
trails and a stormwater pond were
incorporated into the park's design.
Two student teams from Notre Dame
designed a community center for the
park that used recycled materials in
its construction and is now powered
in part by solar energy. In 2007,
the boy scouts opened their new
headquarters. This $1 million facility
includes an environmental education
center, classrooms, a new library and
public meeting space.
Benefits
Consolidated contamination at
this former landfill, making it
safe again for local residents
Provides new recreational and
community space in an inner-
city area with high poverty and
unemployment rates
Created a much-needec
facility for the local Bo^
Scouts and a communi
environmental educatio
center
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Case Study: The Old Santa Fe Railyard District - Santa Fe, NM
Former local civic center is restored, after decades of abandonment
Back in 1880, the first train rolled
into Santa Fe, New Mexico on a spur
line from the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railway Company, its arrival
celebrated by colorful speeches and a
grand parade. With that train, an era of
economic and social change began that
is still evident in the life of Santa Fe
today.
This new train line brought tourism
and new business opportunities to
the young town, and the Santa Fe
Railyard District remained a cultural
and social center until the 1940s. Older
neighbors still living next to the Railyard
today remember afternoons picking
wild lettuce and swimming along the
irrigation canal that flows through the
property. However, as cars became a
preferred method of transportation, the
railyard was abandoned, even as trains
continued to pass through. By the mid-
1980s the entire Railyard District had
become an eyesore, like other railyards
nationwide that fell into disuse. The
town deemed it a blighted area and
initiated a process to redevelop it.
Sometimes a brownfield reuse can not
only benefit a community, but become
its greatest asset. This happened in
Santa Fe, New Mexico, when the 50-
acre, abandoned railway property was
revitalized to become one of the area's
prized retail, arts and outdoor recreation
areas.
In 1995, the city of Santa Fe
purchased the 50-acre property and
redevelopment plans began through a
collaboration of city officials, architects
and a local, nonprofit organization.
The city emphasized the need to
protect adjacent neighborhoods.
The community also weighed in
on what they wanted the property
to become—thousands of citizens
participated in planning meetings
over the thirteen years it took to
redevelop the property. An EPA
Brownfields Assessment grant
awarded to the City of Santa Fe in
1996, and Targeted Brownfields
Assessment funding received in
1999, were used to characterize soil
contamination.
Sometimes a
revitalized brownfield
can not only benefit a
community, but become
its greatest asset.
The residents of Santa Fe ultimately
decided that a mix of transportation,
park area, restaurants, local
businesses and a new arts and
cultural district would provide
the best reuse for this property.
The town worked with the Trust
for Public Land for financing and
redevelopment assistance over the
next decade, and construction began
on the Railyard District in 2005.
In September 2008, the
redeveloped, historic Santa Fe
Railyard District was officially
opened to the public. Art studios,
restaurants and shops provide new
shopping and dining opportunities for
the residents of Santa Fe. The District
also hosts a farmers market that
has become a big draw to the newly
redeveloped area; Santa Fe residents
can purchase local and seasonal
produce from New Mexican farmers
throughout the year. The redeveloped
District also offers multiple parks and
new greenspace for the downtown
area. The 10-acre Railyard Park has
gardens, walkways and gathering
spaces for residents to enjoy, as well
as a children's playground with slides
and climbing equipment.
Benefits
Cleaned up and redeveloped
a large, long-idle brownfield
in the center of downtown
Santa Fe
Rejuvenated a cultural and
historical center of the city
Created a diverse use area
that draws the community to
new resources
Created jobs and enhanced
the city's economy
Provided park space, in
addition to mixed uses, to
create a thriving community
and civic destination
Shoppers visiting an outdoor market at the
Old Santa Fe Railyard District
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Willa Carson Health Resource Center is a
nonprofit clinic in Clearwater, Florida
Case Study: Health Care Facilities
Land revitalization improves public health in more ways than one
Healthcare is an important national
issue. Several communities and
developers see brownfields revitalization
as a way to provide or enhance health
care access in their communities. Not
only does the brownfield revitalization
process improve the environmental
health of a community, it can serve
to expand the care system within the
community. The following profiles
highlight different ways that brownfields
revitalization can be used to meet
community health care needs.
Willa Carson Health Resource Center -
Clearwater, FL
The Willa Carson Resource Center
offers immunizations, physicals,
tests and screenings, flu shots, and
counseling services to residents in North
Greenwood, one of Clearwater's poorest
neighborhoods. The center is staffed
by professionals who volunteer their
time to work at the nonprofit clinic. As
part of the city's environmental justice
plan, North Greenwood representatives
participated in redevelopment planning
and voted unanimously for the city
to lease the property to the nonprofit
clinic. The Brownfields grant recipient
conducted environmental assessments
at this former gas station, and the state
funded $200,000 for the removal of
underground storage tanks and soil
cleanup.
Miller Children's Hospital -
Long Beach, CA
Miller Children's Hospital is the first
children's hospital in the nation
to receive a federal Brownfields
Cleanup grant. The hospital provides
comprehensive inpatient and outpatient
services for children of all ages, and is
one of the only two children's hospitals
in Los Angeles County. The hospital
is home to one of the largest neonatal
intensive care units in California, and
treats more than 60 high-risk neonates
daily. The $600,000 grant from EPA
enabled the hospital to undertake a
$151 million expansion project onto
formerly contaminated land. The new
building will include seven operating
rooms, 48 neonatal intensive care
beds, and 24 pediatric beds for
critically ill children.
Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Tribal
Health Center - Reno, NV
Reno-Sparks Indian Colony (RSIC)
is transforming a former industrial
property into Three Nations Plaza,
future home of a Wal-Mart, which
will generate jobs and significant
tax revenues. RSIC will use the tax
revenues from this development to
fund police, healthcare, education and
economic development for the tribe.
Specifically, revenues will be used to
repay bonds issued for the construction
of a recently completed, $20 million
tribal health center that provides
services to more than 9,000 Native
Americans in the Washoe County area.
Providence North Portland Health
Clinic - Portland, OR
The Providence North Portland
Health Clinic provides access to
six family medicine physicians and
two obstetricians in this previously
underserved North Portland
neighborhood. This property is a
former vacant gas station that received
assessment funding from the Portland
Photo of the Providence North Portland
Health Clinic in Portland, Oregon
brownfields program in the late
1990s. The Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
conducted oversight during the
redevelopment of the property which
found a total of 600 cubic yards of
soil contaminated with gasoline. In
2003, this brownfield became the
focus of a design charrette at the
National Brownfields Conference that
included local stakeholders and the
property owner. The owner sold the
property to Providence Health Systems
in 2006.
-------
Case Study: The Meeting Street National Center
of Excellence - Providence, RI
State-of-the-art facility serves the educational needs of children of all abilities
The Meeting Street National Center
of Excellence educates children of
all abilities through its three schools,
early intervention programs, and
outpatient therapy. The facility also
serves as a resource center for families
providing information on medical
issues, educational curricula and
treatment options. Meeting Street,
a nonprofit organization, purchased
the eight-acre property, which is
located in an economically distressed
neighborhood, for reuse as three schools
and an outpatient therapy center. The
cleanup and reuse of one of the many
underutilized lots in the neighborhood
has helped to improve community
image. Meeting Street conducted fund
raising activities to raise more than $20
million to help relocate the school to
this central location.
The property has a variety of past uses
including residential, an iron works
facility, an automobile service facility,
a furniture warehouse, and a produce
distributor. Several deteriorating
structures were located on the property
and it was contaminated with lead,
arsenic and other hazardous substances.
In 2004, Meeting Street applied for
and received a $200,000 Brownfields
Cleanup grant to address property
contaminants. Completed in June 2006,
cleanup also included removing old,
deteriorating buildings and two storage
tanks.
In January 2007, the Meeting Street
National Center of Excellence opened
its doors to begin serving more than
3,000 children in the community each
year. Meeting Street has been awarded
the U.S. Green Building Council's
LEED® certification, the first school
in Rhode Island to be certified.
Three acres are dedicated to much
needed greenspace and recreational
use. The facility was developed to
allow for 90 percent of all interior
spaces to be lit by natural light.
Additional sustainable features of the
development included use of low-
VOC (volatile organic compounds)
paint. Materials placed in the
building are of high-recycled content,
including the carpet throughout the
facility.
The development project included
recycling all construction
and demolition materials and
incorporated a white roof, and
advanced heating and cooling
systems. Another unique design
feature of the building includes
incorporating ramps, in addition
to stairs and elevators, throughout
the building to ensure interaction
of students and staff of all physical
abilities.
The new facility is expected to
stimulate additional investment,
redevelopment and economic
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Kohanski
development, as well as stabilize
the area and provide much needed
greenspace. The facility will also
benefit from its central location,
accessible by public transportation
and across the street from the new
medical building. It is anticipated
that the National Center for
Excellence will help attract additional
jobs.
Benefits
• Cleaned up an eight-acre
brownfields
• Provides access to
programming for all children,
including those with special
needs
• Informs families of medical
issues, treatment options and
educational curricula
• Incorporated sustainable
design elements into
redevelopment
• Property values have been
shown to increase in areas
with better schools
Meeting Street School allows children
with and without disabilities to learn
side-by-side in a fully inclusive facility.
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"Public spaces play a vital
role in the social life of
communities. They act as
shared resources in which
experiences and value are
created.. .people make
places, more than
places make people."51
The Social Value of Public Spaces
Falls Park is part of a 26-acre redevelopment
project in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Community Benefits of
Community and Civic Uses
Enhanced Sense of Community
Public spaces make people feel connected. They
can be a place to gather and celebrate a successful
brownfields transformation. In Bridgeport,
Connecticut, a 10-acre industrial area adjacent to
two schools and notorious for drug use and other
criminal activity was redeveloped into a recreational
park featuring basketball courts, softball fields,
playgrounds, a public pavilion and an amphitheater.
Within a couple of years, a space that had previously
been a source of crime and fear in the community
became a valuable recreational asset.
Reduction in Crime
For those living in disadvantaged neighborhoods
accustomed to crime, poverty and living side-
by-side with idle brownfields of unknown risk,
revitalization signals change and can eliminate the
source of neighbors' real and perceived fears of drug
manufacture or sales, robberies, waste dumping,
arson, vandalism and other illegal activity. A study by
Dr. Frances Kuo52 found lower crime rates on public
housing blocks that also have vegetation. Beyond
that, a dramatic, positive change in a single property
can initiate bigger neighborhood changes and renew
a city's commitment to a disadvantaged neighborhood
and collaboration with the community in shaping
improvements—eliminating crime and decay, and
creating spaces that becomes a source of community
pride.
Increased Home and Property Values
Research in a number of communities shows that
aesthetic improvements to public greenspace, such
as new community gardens and tree-lined parks,
can increase the value of neighboring properties,
providing an economic (as well as aesthetic) incentive
for such reuses.53 Even those who do not directly take
advantage of this new space benefit from its effective
reuse.
Increased Private Investment and Economic
Development
The creation of community and civic spaces and
their associated aesthetic improvements increases
local property values and may also attract private
investment and generate momentum for area-wide
transformation. Enhancements attract more people
to the area, increase sales and property taxes, and
lead to continued infrastructure improvements
and redevelopment. In Gardena, California, the
redevelopment of a brownfield into a public
transportation facility brought in $25 million in
federal transit funding, created 75 jobs, and created
economic momentum that turned a $3.1 million
budget deficit into a $3 million reserve in less than
five years.54
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Resources
Project for Public Spaces
Founded in 1975, Project for Public Spaces is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people
create and sustain public spaces that build stronger
communities. For more information, visit www.pps.
org.
U.S. EPA Greenscapes
EPA offers resources to help communities make cost-
efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for
landscaping. Access the resources at www.epa.gov/
waste/conserve/rrr/greenscapes/index.htm.
Greenspace Planning Toolkit
Communities can receive guidance on planning
greenspace from the University of Georgia. A toolkit
for the evaluating of land parcels for greenspace
planning can be accessed at www.rivercenter.uga.
edu/publications/pdf/toolkit.pdf.
The Excellent City Park System: What Makes
It Great and How to Get There
A resource developed by the Trust for Public
Land which proposes seven measures of city park
excellence. See if your community measures up at
www. tpl. org/download_excellent_parks. cfm.
Ecological Revitalization: Turning Contaminated
Properties Into Community Assets
This report is designed to support ecological
revitalization, address technical considerations
of ecological revitalization at contaminated
properties, and present general planning and process
considerations. The report can be accessed at www.
clu-in. org/do wnload/issues/ecotools/Ecological_
Revitalization_ Turning_ Contaminated_Properties_
lnto_ Community_Assets.pdf
Land and People
The Trust for Public Land produces a semi-annual
free magazine which documents the activities by
people to protect land. Access it at www.tpl.org/
freemag.
Increasing Physical Activity Through
Community Design
The National Center for Bicycling and Walking
published a report which focuses on how to make
communities more bicycle-friendly and walkable.
Download the report at www.bikewalk.org/pdfs/
IPA_full.pdf.
The State Role in Urban Land Redevelopment
State legislation and programs can boost capacity to
redevelop vacant and abandoned properties. Find the
Brookings Institute study outlining these initiatives
at www.brookings.edu/es/urban/publications/
leighvacant.pdf.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
is dedicated to helping community residents
transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and
sustainable communities of choice and opportunity—
good places to work, do business and raise children.
Access additional information at www.lisc.org.
The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
Tribal Health Center
Photo courtesy of Dave Hodges
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"The momentum from our
brownfields project has
spilled over into the rest of the
community. Our Brownfields
Sustainability Pilot has opened
the door for us to establish
partnerships to redevelop our
community and create the type of
jobs our citizens need. If we can
create these jobs, we can give
people hope for their future here."
Jim Jones - City of Valley, Alabama
3. Summary and Looking Forward
Our grantees and brownfield revitalization partners
have created a wealth of examples that demonstrate
the many environmental, economic and other
community benefits that can spring from the
revitalization of brownfields and other contaminated
lands. Two things are apparent from the examples
presented in this report: the benefits of brownfields
reuse are not confined to the property's boundaries
and they are not only about the environment or job
creation. The examples presented also illuminate
two key components that are often present when
brownfield revitalization helps to create more livable
communities.
First, we see that enabling robust community
conversations among those affected by brownfields
helps to place the property into the context of the
neighborhood, the community and the region to
inform the best possible reuse. We can nurture
the collaborative spirit of the community, create
capacity to talk about other pressing issues, and
give voice to community members who have been
underrepresented in community decisions.
Second, we see that setting our sights on
sustainability is also a critical characteristic for
success. Communities must balance several,
sometimes competing, factors—such as economic
opportunities, the environment, culture, public
health and other community priorities. The equitable
balance of these factors also implies consideration
of both short- and long-term timeframes as truly
sustainable reuse presents the opportunity to build
intergenerational bridges with our senior citizens, our
youth and future generations.
Another core element of sustainability is diversity.
Just as biodiversity is an indicator of a healthy
ecosystem, what Jane Jacobs called "vibrant
diversity" is a sign of a community's health. The four
reuse themes featured in the report—agriculture and
food systems, arts and culture, housing and mixed
uses, and community and civic spaces—can create
the variety and diversity needed for a flourishing,
healthy community.
With vigorous community involvement and strong
sustainability goals, brownfields revitalization offers
the chance to rebalance the scales of environmental,
social and economic injustices. There is much poetry
to recycling land in a way that mends the social
fabric of our communities. As the Native American
proverb goes: "Treat the earth well. It was not given
to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your
children."
We will continue to provide additional examples and
resource updates on the EPA Brownfields Web site:
www.epa.gov/brownfields. In the meantime, we hope
this report serves as a catalyst to make new ideas and
connections to improve the environment, health and
quality of life in your community. What path will you
take to help revitalize your community?
-------
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4. References
1 Data from EPA's Assessment Cleanup and Revitalization Exchange System (ACRES), a reporting tool for EPA's Brownfields Program. Data was
accessed on August 24, 2009.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Creighton, James L. The Public Participation Handbook: Making Better Decisions through Community Involvement. International
Association for Public Participation, 2005.
5 EPA Sustainability Program Basic Information. Available online at www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm.
5 Living Planet Report 2008. Fig. 2: Humanity's Ecological Footprint, 1961-2005. World Wildlife Federation, 2008. Available online at www.
panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report.
7 Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008. The Sustainable Sites Initiative, 2008. Available online at www.sustainablesites.org.
3 Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007. U.S. EPA. 2009. Available online atepa.gov/climatechange/
emissions/usi nventoryreport.htm I.
9 Data from ACRES.
10 Asthma and the Environment: Policy Approaches. Policy Link. Available online at www.policylink.org/site/c.lklXLbMNJrE/b.5154637/k.
C81D/Policy.htm.
11 Ulrich, Robert S. Effects of Gardens on Health Outcomes: Theory and Research. In Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design
Recommendations. Ed. Clare Cooper Marcus and Marni Barnes. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999. P.27-86.
12 Twenty-Nine Reasons for Planting Trees. Tree Link. Compiled from various sources by: Glenn Roloff, USDA Forest Service - Northern
Region Missoula, Montana. Available online at www.treelink.org/docs/29_reasons.phtml.
13 Burden, Dan. 22 Benefits of Urban Streets. Glatting Jackson and Walkable Communities, Inc., May 2006. Available online at www.ufei.org/fi
les/pubs/22Benefi tsofUrbanStreetTrees.pdf.
14 Data from ACRES.
15 Wachter, Susan. The Determinants of Neighborhood Transformations in Philadelphia -Identification and Analysis: The New Kensington
Pilot Study. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, July 12, 2004. Available online at gislab.wharton.upenn.edu/silus/Papers/
GreeninGStudy.pdf. and Whitmire Study. Gateway Greening. Available online atwww.gatewaygreening.org/WhitmireStudy.asp.
16 Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World. United Nations Environment Programme, 2008. Produced by
WorldWatch Institute with technical assistance from Cornell University Global Labor Institute. Available online at http://www.unep.org/labour_
environ ment/features/greenjobs-report. asp.
17 Rogers, Ben and Emily Robinson. The Benefits of Community Engagement: A review of the evidence. Active Citizenship Centre. 2004.
Available online at www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/benefits.
18 Walsh, Bryan. Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food. Time Magazine. 21 Aug2009. Available online atwww.time.com/time/
health/article/0,8599,1917458,00.html.
19 Fuels and Emissions from Industrial Agriculture. Food & Water Watch. Availableonlineatwww.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/factoryfarms/
dairy-and-meat-factories/climate-change/greenhouse-gas-industrial-agriculture.
20 Food Deserts Web site. Available online atwww.fooddeserts.org/images/whatisfd.htm.
21 Garden Writers Association. Available online at www.gardenwriters.org.
22 This map was created by the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future. It shows EPA-tracked sites within Baltimore, Maryland.
Geographical data for EPA-tracked sites was gathered from the following sources: Brownfields properties from the ACRES database queried
July 2008; RCRA sites from the RCRA 2020 Universe Inventory from July 2007; Superfund sites from the EPA OSWER Cross-Program
Revitalization Measure (CPRM) universe as provided by the Superfund Office July 2008; and landfill sites from Landfill Methane Outreach
Program (LMOP) provided March 20, 2009. This analysis defines food deserts as block groups that are more than 1A mile from a major
supermarket and have 40 percent or greater of their population with an income below 125 percent of the poverty line.
23 Sherer, Paul. The Benefits of Parks: Why America Needs More City Parks and Open Space. The Trust for Public Land, 2006. Available
online at www.tpl.org/content_documents/parks_for_people_Jul2005.pdf.
24 Wachter, Susan. The Determinants of Neighborhood Transformations in Philadelphia -Identification and Analysis: The New Kensington
Pilot Study. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, July 12, 2004. Available online at gislab.wharton.upenn.edu/silus/Papers/
GreeninGStudy.pdf.
25 Whitmire Study. Gateway Greening. Available online at: www.gatewaygreening.org/WhitmireStudy.asp.
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Zimmerman, Janet. Community gardens growing in popularity amid rising food prices, health scares. The
Press-Enterprise, July 27, 2008. Available online at www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_veggies27.3b66c8a.html.
2008 Annual Report. National Gardening Association. Available online at assoc.garden.org/files/AR_2008.pdf, p. 6.
Garden Market Research: How Many Organic Gardeners are There? National Gardening Association. Available online at www.
garden research.com/index. php?q=show&id=2896.
Organic Food Facts. Organic Food Association. Available online at http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/food.html.
Whitmire Study. Gateway Greening. Available online atwww.gatewaygreening.org/WhitmireStudy.asp.
Arts Participation 2008: Highlights from a National Survey. 2009. National Endowment for the Arts. Available online at arts.endow.gov/
research/research_brochures.php
Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences. Americans for
the Arts. Available online at www.artsusa.org/information_services/research/services/economic_impact/default.asp.
Written Testimony in Support of FY10 Appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts Submitted by Jeremy Nowak President and
CEO, The Reinvestment Fund House. Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment & Related Agencies. "Arts, Culture, and
Community Renewal." March 31, 2009. Available online at www.americansforthearts.org/getjnvolved/advocacy/advocacy_022.asp.
Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences. Americans for
the Arts. Available online at www.artsusa.org/information_services/research/services/economic_impact/default.asp.
The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life. National Endowment for the Arts, 2006. Available online at arts.endow.
gov/research/research_brochures.php.
Federal Tax Incentives for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings: Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2008. National Park Service. U.S. Department
of the Interior, 2009. Available online atwww.nps.gov/hps/tps/tax/download/annualreport.pdf.
Strickland, Bill. Make the Impossible Possible. New York: Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, 2007.
Arts Programs forAt-Risk Youth: How U.S. Communities are Using the Arts to Rescue Their Youth and Deter Crime. Americans for the
Arts, 1998. Available online atwww.americansforthearts.org/NAPD/fi les/9209/Arts%20Programs%20for%20Youth%20At-Risk_Pamphlet.
pdf.
Ibid.
Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits. National Trust for Historic Preservation. Available online at www.preservationnation.org/issues/
rehabilitation-tax-credits.
Incentives! A Guide to the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program for Income-Producing Properties. National Park Service.
U.S. Department of the Interior. Available online at www.nps.gov/hps/tps/tax/incentives/essentials_l.htm.
Nelson, Arthur C. Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity to Rebuild America. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. A
Discussion Paper Prepared for The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, December 2004. Available online at www.brookings.
edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2004/12metropolitanpolicy_nelson/20041213_RebuildAmerica.pdf.
2001 Statistical Abstract of the United States. U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Census Bureau. Table No. 952. Housing Units-
Characteristics by Tenure and Region: 1999. Available online at www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/01statab/stat-ab01.html.
Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Review 2008. Table 2.la Energy Consumption by Sector, 1949-2008. U.S. Department of
Energy, June 26, 2008. Available online atwww.eia.doe.gov/aer/consump.html.
U.S. Census Bureau. Available online atwww.census.gov/census2000/states/fl .html and www.census.gov.
The Benefits of Public Transportation: Mobility for the Aging Population. American Public Transportation Association. Available online at
www. na pta. net/f i les/pdf/pu bs_sen iors. pdf.
Nelson, Arthur C. Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity to Rebuild America. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. A
Discussion Paper Prepared for The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, December 2004. Available online at www.brookings.
edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2004/12metropolitanpolicy_nelson/20041213_Rebu ildAmerica.pdf.
State of Healthy Housing. National Center for Health Housing. Available online at http://www.nchh.org/Policy/State-of-Healthy-Housing.
aspx.
Moving Cooler: An Analysis of Transportation Strategies for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Prepared for Moving Cooler Steering Committee. July 2009. Available online at www.movingcooler.info/home.
Davis, Todd and Monica Hale. Public Transportation's Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Reduction. SAIC, September 2007. Available
online at www.apta.com/research/info/online/climate_change.cfm.
The Social Value of Public Spaces. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Available online at www.jrf.org.uk/sites/fi les/jrf/2050-public-space-
community.pdf.
Kuo, F.E., & Sullivan, W.C. (2001). "Environment and crime in the inner city: Does vegetation reduce crime?" Environment and Behavior,
33(3), 343-367.
Whitmire Study. Gateway Greening. Available online atwww.gatewaygreening.org/WhitmireStudy.asp.
In Gardena, Good Things are Growing on Cleaned-up Soil. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, August 2006. Available online at www.
epa.gov/brownfields/success/gardena_ca.pdf.
Back cover photo: Artist Vickie Jo Sowell
created sculpture for a community garden in
Emeryville, California
Photo courtesy of EPA files
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&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-09-517
October 2009
www.epa.gov
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