Brownfield land
[3][4] The main difference in definitions of whether a piece of land is considered a brownfield or not depends on the presence or absence of pollution.
[3][6] Examples of post industrial brownfield sites include abandoned factories, dry cleaning establishments, and gas stations.
[7][4] Typical contaminants include hydrocarbon spillages, solvents and pesticides, asbestos, and heavy metals like lead.
[10] Depending on the contaminants and damage present adaptive re-use and disposal of a brownfield can require advanced and specialized appraisal analysis techniques.
[10] The Federal Government of Canada defines brownfields as "abandoned, idle or underutilized commercial or industrial properties [typically located in urban areas] where past actions have caused environmental contamination, but which still have potential for redevelopment or other economic opportunities.
The motivation for this act was the success of the EPA's brownfields program, which it started in the 1990s in response to several court cases that caused lenders to redline contaminated property for fear of liability under the Superfund.
[20] Small brownfields also may be found in older residential neighborhoods, as for example dry cleaning establishments or gas stations produced high levels of subsurface contaminants.
[citation needed] This directly affects brownfield reuse, such as limiting the effective economic life of the use on the revitalized sites.
[citation needed] The provinces' legal mechanisms for managing risk are limited, as there are no tools such as "No Further Action" letters to give property owners finality and certainty in the cleanup and reuse process.
[citation needed] Yet, Canada has cleaned up sites and attracted investment to contaminated lands such as the Moncton rail yards.
See Natural Resources Canada (2012) While Denmark lacks the large land base which creates the magnitude of brownfield issues facing countries such as Germany and the U.S., brownfield sites in areas critical to the local economies of Denmark's cities require sophisticated solutions and careful interaction with affected communities.
Examples include the cleanup and redevelopment of former and current ship building facilities along Copenhagen's historic waterfront.
Industrial sites tend to be remote due to zoning laws, and incur costly overhead for providing infrastructure such as utilities, disposal services and transportation.
[33] The UK government has recognised the ecological importance of brownfield sites and has afforded some protection to such habitats through the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan.
[citation needed] The Clinton-Gore administration and US EPA launched a series of brownfield policies and programs in 1993 to tackle this problem.
[citation needed] Acquisition, adaptive re-use, and disposal of a brownfield site requires advanced and specialized appraisal analysis techniques.
[36][failed verification] A 2011 University of Delaware study has suggested a 17.5:1 return on dollars invested on brownfield redevelopment.
After they reach maturity, the plants – which now contain the heavy metal contaminants in their tissues – are removed and disposed of as hazardous waste.
The intent is to see if the plants can serve two purposes simultaneously: assist with phytoremediation, and contribute to the economical production of biodiesel and/or ethanol fuel.
[citation needed] The regeneration of brownfields in the United Kingdom and in other European countries has gained prominence due to greenfield land restrictions as well as their potential to promote the urban renaissance.
[42] Many contaminated brownfield sites sit unused for decades because the cost of cleaning them to safe standards is more than the land would be worth after redevelopment, in the process becoming involuntary parks as they grow over.
[citation needed] As of 2006[update] the Atlantic Station project in Atlanta, was the largest brownfield redevelopment in the United States.
[citation needed] In Homestead, Pennsylvania, the site once occupied by Carnegie Steel has been converted into a successful commercial center, The Waterfront.
