Industrial Site Reuse and Urban Redevelopment—An OverviewAbstractMany communities have experienced wrenching plant downsizing and shutdowns, leaving underused or abandoned—and almost always contaminated—industrial sites, called brownfields. The issue of brownfield cleanup and redevelopment is emerging as central to the overlap between environmental protection and economic redevelopment. Unless these buildings and sites are restored to useful life, continued deterioration will worsen environmental problems and weaken the economic base of the host communities. Local decisions and strategies to restore these sites can be strengthened by Federal action to reduce regulatory barriers to reuse and to expand the availability of existing resources to brownfield projects. This article proposes steps the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) could take to help facilitate local reuse initiatives. It also suggests topics for additional research as HUD expands its focus on the interplay between the urban environment and economic redevelopment.Industrial Site Reuse and Urban Redevelopment—An Overview (*.pdf, 180 KB)
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