Summer assignment - Physiographic region

Urban Brownfield

Submitted by

Group II

Aadithya Arvind

SPA/NS/LA/2023/744

Kanad Kumar Ghosh

SPA/NS/LA/2023/752

Department of Landscape Architecture

School of Planning and Architecture

(Batch 2023-2025)
Part I

Introduction
Urban brownfields, remnants of industrial and commercial ventures, are prevalent in modern cities. These
neglected and often contaminated sites pose unique challenges and opportunities for urban planners and
environmental scientists. Physically, urban brownfields vary in size and condition, often characterized by
dilapidated structures, contaminated soil, and derelict landscapes. Plant life on these sites tends to be sparse
and stress-tolerant, adapting to the harsh conditions of pollution and neglect. The issues surrounding urban
brownfields are multifaceted, including environmental hazards, public health risks, and socio-economic
decline in surrounding areas. However, effective remediation strategies offer pathways to transform these
blighted areas into productive, green, and economically viable spaces. By understanding the physical and
botanical characteristics of urban brownfields, we can develop targeted solutions to mitigate their impacts
and harness their potential for sustainable urban regeneration. This paper explores these dimensions,
highlighting the critical challenges and innovative remedies for urban brownfield revitalization.

The Origin of the Word Brownfield and Its Agricultural Etymology

The French term for brownfield, "friche," has agricultural roots, deriving from the medieval Dutch word
"versch," meaning "fresh soil" (Dubois J, 2001). It broadly denotes unused agricultural land, often due to
poor soil quality, surplus land, or temporary fallow periods. The English word "brownfield," combining
"brown" and "field," began to be widely used in urban planning in the early 1990s to describe abandoned
land. In 1993, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its Brownfields
Redevelopment Initiative to help local governments identify and assess brownfields (Merlin P, 2010).

Types Of Urban Brownfields

Urban brownfields come in various types, each with distinct characteristics and challenges. Here are some
key types of urban brownfields with descriptions:

1. Industrial Brownfields: These sites are former manufacturing or industrial facilities, often heavily
contaminated with hazardous substances such as heavy metals, petroleum products, and chemical
solvents. They typically require extensive cleanup and remediation efforts before redevelopment can
occur. Examples include abandoned factories, refineries, and warehouses.
2. Commercial Brownfields: These include former retail spaces, offices, and commercial buildings that
have been vacated and fallen into disrepair. While they may not be as heavily contaminated as industrial

Figure 2- Industrial Brownfield Figure 1 - Commercial Brownfield

 sites, they often face issues like asbestos, lead paint, and structural deterioration. Redeveloping these
sites can rejuvenate urban centers and promote economic growth.
3. Residential Brownfields: These are abandoned or neglected housing areas, often in inner-city
locations. Issues can include outdated infrastructure, mold, and potential contamination from previous
uses. Redevelopment can provide much-needed housing and improve living conditions for urban
populations.
4. Transportation-Related Brownfields: These encompass former railway yards, bus depots, and
decommissioned airports. Contaminants might include oil, diesel, and other pollutants related to
transportation. These sites offer unique opportunities for creating mixed-use developments, parks, or
transit-oriented projects.

Figure 3- Residential Brownfield

5. Institutional Brownfields: These are properties that were once public or institutional facilities, such
as hospitals, schools, and government buildings. They often have historical significance but may require
significant renovation or contamination cleanup. Repurposing these sites can preserve cultural heritage
while meeting modern community needs.
6. Waterfront Brownfields: Located along rivers, lakes, or coastlines, waterfront brownfields were once
bustling with industrial or commercial activities. Contamination from shipping, manufacturing, or
waste disposal is common. Revitalizing waterfront brownfields involves not only environmental
remediation but also efforts to restore ecological health and enhance public access to the water.

Each type of urban brownfield presents unique challenges and opportunities for redevelopment, requiring
tailored approaches to transform these blighted areas into valuable community assets.

Characteristics and Current Issues Of Urban Brownfields

In India, urban brownfields exhibit diverse topographical and hydrological characteristics that influence
their redevelopment potential. Topographically, these sites vary widely, ranging from former industrial
complexes in densely populated urban centers to abandoned agricultural lands on city outskirts. Each site
presents unique challenges in terms of soil quality, terrain stability, and existing infrastructure, influencing
the feasibility and cost of redevelopment projects.

Hydrologically, urban brownfields in India often face issues related to water contamination and drainage.
Industrial activities may have left behind pollutants like heavy metals and chemicals, affecting soil and
groundwater quality. Poor drainage systems exacerbate flooding risks during monsoon seasons, further
complicating redevelopment efforts and posing environmental and health hazards.

Current issues surrounding Indian urban brownfields include regulatory complexities, inadequate funding
for remediation, and community resistance. Regulatory frameworks often lack clarity or enforcement,
leading to delays and uncertainties in project approvals. Limited financial resources and competing
priorities hinder comprehensive cleanup and redevelopment initiatives. Community concerns about health
risks from contamination and displacement further complicate efforts to gain local support for revitalization
projects.

Addressing these challenges requires integrated planning, innovative financing models, and robust
community engagement strategies. Successful redevelopment of urban brownfields can contribute
significantly to sustainable urban growth, enhancing environmental quality and promoting inclusive
economic development in Indian cities.

Figure 4 - Urban Brownfield in india

Part II

Key Steps of a Regeneration Process in Urban Brownfields

• Overcoming Negative Perceptions and Fostering the Emergence of a Shared Vision - Overcoming
negative perceptions of brownfield sites is a key challenge in guiding regeneration projects. The
activation of these abandoned areas by early adopters can enhance their image, particularly through
temporary cultural activities. Public engagement in these initiatives gradually integrates these once
inaccessible spaces into the community fabric, rebuilding connections with their surroundings.
Initiatives like the TransEurope-Halles network and Yes We Camp exemplify creative uses of urban
brownfields, fostering symbolic and practical revitalization efforts that involve diverse stakeholders in
shaping future urban landscapes.

• Participation of Landowners and Land Management to Foster Stakeholder Support - The initial
participatory approach focuses on engaging directly affected landowners to ensure their support and
involvement in regeneration projects. Often overlooked in urban planning, effective land management
is crucial, as inadequate management can pose significant obstacles to brownfield redevelopment.
Aligning land-use regulations with actual utilization is essential, balancing public interest objectives
with private landowners' rights and responsibilities. This coordination is pivotal in overcoming
challenges associated with shared ownership and ensuring equitable distribution of costs and benefits
throughout the project lifecycle.

• Evaluation of Sustainability Objectives - Urban brownfield regeneration, while addressing urban

sprawl, often inadequately integrates sustainability, prioritizing environmental concerns over socio-
cultural aspects. Achieving comprehensive project quality requires simultaneous consideration of
environmental, economic, socio-cultural, and governance factors throughout the entire project
lifecycle. This holistic approach necessitates thorough and continuous evaluation, beginning from
initial planning stages through legal frameworks and project realization. Given the unique challenges
of brownfield sites—large, often isolated areas with distinct identities and complex transformation
processes—specific, tailored evaluations are essential to ensure robust and reliable outcomes.

• The Various Roles of Operational Evaluation - Effective evaluation methodologies tailored to

project-specific issues serve multiple vital roles in project dynamics. Operational evaluations enhance
understanding of sustainability dimensions, offering decision-makers informed insights rather than
ready-made solutions. This structured approach ensures clarity on project performance relative to
established objectives, fostering critical analysis and decision support. Additionally, evaluations
function as supportive tools, facilitating stakeholders in monitoring project evolution and comparing
options for optimized decision-making and problem-solving processes. This iterative approach fosters
efficient communication among diverse stakeholders, crucial for sustainable neighborhood
development and participatory processes.

Consideration for Design Schemes Plantation

The community's collection of trees and greenery forms an "urban forest," encompassing vegetation along
streets, boulevards, public and private properties, parks, gardens, river and coastal paths, greenways,
riverbanks, wetlands, and nature reserves. As urban areas expand or evolve, new construction and roads
replace green spaces, reducing tree cover. Increased impervious surfaces, like dark-colored pavement,
absorb heat, leading to the urban heat island effect. Cooling these areas demands more energy, exacerbating
greenhouse gas emissions.
▪ Saving Existing Trees
Healthy, mature trees provide many environmental, social, and economic benefits and should be preserved
where possible. Raising this important topic during community outreach and throughout project planning
can help the community prioritize existing urban forest coverage and discuss the need to expand the urban
forest.

Figure 5 - Chart of saving Exixting Trees Source: Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (5105T) | EPA 560-F-23-285 | June
2023 | www.epa.gov/brownfields

▪ Planting New Trees

Brownfield assessment, cleanup, and reuse projects also provide opportunities to expand, diversify or create
new urban forests. Consider how the site location and soil characteristics will affect new trees, and how
proper maintenance of the trees will keep them healthy over time.
▪ Maintenance of Trees
Newly planted trees often need to be watered during the growing season for 2-3 years after planting (or
longer). Watering bags or other methods such as “leaky buckets,” and drip hoses can be placed at the tree’s
location to provide water when soil conditions are dry. Urban trees, especially newly planted trees, need to
be periodically monitored to assess for pests, disease, and overall tree health.

▪ Engaging Community
Offer community members training on trees and their maintenance. Your State Urban Forestry Coordinator
or Community Forest Program Manager may be able to help. Conduct a volunteer tree survey. Gather
community feedback and concerns surrounding urban forest operations and planning. Create a local nursery
and train and hire local community members.

References
ABC Finance (2018) Who really owns the UK? In: Commer. Finance Experts. https://abcfinance.

co.uk/blog/who-owns-the-uk/. Accessed 7 Jan 2021

Berger A (2007) Drosscape: Wasting Land Urban America. Princeton Architectural Press, New

York

Chaline C (1999) La régénération urbaine. PUF, Paris

Clarinet (2002) Brownfield and redevelopment of urban areas

Dubois J, M. H. (2001). Dictionnaire d’étymologie. Larousse, Paris.

Luca FD (2019) Overview of brownfields regeneration projects in the Baltic states and in Europe.

Tallinn University of Technolog

Merlin P, C. F. (2010). Dictionnaire de l’urbanisme et de l’aménagement. PUF, Paris.