Brownfields Information Brocker

This paper discusses a possible solution for developing a virtual place for advertisement, investment and the harvesting, collecting and sharing of information concerning brownfields - now abundantly availabe land that was previously used for industrial, commercial or other uses. The novelty of the proposed solution is an automated brownfield related information integration (brownfields data integrator or brownfields broker) from various sources and its further distribution for other purposes (reuse of collected information) in a machine readable format and that meets European requirements regarding the integration of spatial information (INSPIRE directive and its related activities). This virtual place will provide services for brownfields related automated data harvesting, data update by local governments and citizens, as well as mechanisms for the reuse of this data through Application Protocol Interfaces and other „machine to machine “interfaces. The brownfield broker should also help to improve the ratio between developments made on brownfields and greenfields, which are currently imbalanced and statistically unknown in the European Union (EU). The beneficiaries from the brownfields data integrator will be very broad: owners, entrepreneurs (potential investors), municipalities (will be able to upload and then re-use relevant reliable, classified, updated information about brownfields and to advertise it through the application), planners, realtors (will be able to publicise the data using their web portals), financial institutions (for providing distance financial services), volunteers, scientists and the general public (for their personal interest, data creation, use, publishing and informing)

The Brownfields Phenomenon: Much Ado about Something or the Timing of the Shrewd?

This paper provides an overview of the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties known as “brownfields.” It has three principal parts. First, we introduce the brownfields phenomenon and its drivers, drawing on the body of available empirical evidence to discuss characteristics of individual brownfield redevelopment projects. Second, we present findings from a recent study we have conducted that examines the relative attractiveness to private developers of public interventions to promote brownfields redevelopment. Third, we briefly summarize some of the problems with brownfields development and policy and propose an approach to promote wider societal benefits of brownfields development. We conclude with several broad questions about brownfields policy and practice.brownfields, contamination, economic development, infill

Brownfield to Brightfield: Influences on Attitude

The purpose of this study is to analyze what factors influence a person’s attitude towards a brownfield site converted into a future solar energy farm through the RE-Power America’s Land Initiative to help increase the success of implementing solar energy farms in cities. Five different factors, including: spatial, public participation, local context, personal values, and socio-demographic factors are analyzed and tested using descriptive statistics and measures of association. Among other tests, measures of association were used to determine that egalitarian viewpoint, education and income had statistically significant relationships with acceptance towards the potential solar energy development. However, all of these influences are considered inherent characteristics and are not easily changed. Other factors such as familiarity and aesthetics also had a strong relationships with acceptance towards the potential solar energy development and are considered modifiable characteristics. Consequently, future policies and procedures in the RE-Power America’s Land Initiative for Brisbane, California and Lackawanna, New York should focus on designing a cohesive aesthetic for the development and increase familiarity of the potential project by providing more information to the public

Factors affecting brownfield regeneration in post-socialist space: the case of the Czech Republic

Using an example of the Czech Republic, this explorative study attempts to answer the question of what factors have a significant influence on a successful regeneration of brownfields in a post-socialistic space. The study is based on a comparative analysis of two data files – the database of existing brownfields provided by the national CzechInvest agency, and the database of successfully regenerated brownfields compiled by the authors themselves. The paper consists of three interrelated parts, the first one dealing with an analysis of the structure of regenerated brownfields, the second one confronting this with the structure of the existing brownfields by means of a comparative analysis, and the third one analyzing the factors of brownfield regeneration. The main types of functional transformation of space were identified and the factors that appeared to be significant determinants of brownfields regeneration were classified as the result

The institutional capacity of the UK speculative housebuilding industry – responding to the brownfield development policy agenda

The UK speculative housebuilding industry has grown and prospered primarily through the conversion of greenfield land into mass, standardised housing estates. As such, the UK Government’s commitment to restricting the development of housing primarily to brownfield sites presents a significant challenge to the current skills base of many speculative housebuilders. Whilst the housebuilding industry has demonstrated in recent years a commitment to brownfield development through the steady increase in the numbers of dwellings built on previously developed land, concerns exists over whether the industry has developed the requisite core competencies necessary to secure a long-term commitment to brownfield development. In response to such concerns, this research assesses the attitudes, behaviours and corporate strategies of a select number of speculative housebuilders towards brownfield development in the English and Scottish contexts. Through this, the research presents a timely and important evaluation of the strategic decision making of UK speculative housebuilders and explores the concept of institutional capacity through an investigation into the private sectors response to public policy change

Transition Support Mechanisms for Communities Facing Full or Partial Coal Power Plant Retirement in New York

New York State is undergoing a rapid and unprecedented energy transformation, particularly in the electricity sector. As new resources and technologies emerge to meet the demands of 21st century life, regulators must balance the need for cost effective and equitable participation in wholesale power markets while maintaining reliability on the grid. Furthermore, it is critical that all New Yorkers participate fully in the promise of a revitalized and equitable energy future. Such a transformation requires that the needs of all communities are factored into the polices and regulations that move New York toward the bold goals set forth under its Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative. The precipitous drop in natural gas prices, the decreased costs of wind and solar energy, and the rise in the cost of coal, have contributed to the mothballing or retiring of coal-fired and nuclear energy generators across the country, including in New York. Communities that have been home to the electric generation units of the past, particularly struggling coal-fired power plants, are especially vulnerable during this transformation, because these communities often rely on the generators for tax revenues, such as through Payments in Lieu of Tax agreements. New York has the opportunity to ensure a just transition for these communities by adopting new, clean energy resources, technologies, and markets while fostering a trained and skilled workforce to support its ambitious goals. For all New Yorkers to enjoy the new energy future, leadership must address the impact of lost jobs, declining economic activity and lost tax revenue, and must support essential services in impacted communities with the same level of urgency and expansive vision needed to balance the integration of new technologies in the most cost effective manner to maintain grid reliability. At the same time, state and federal funding must be allocated to communities in transition for the remediation and redevelopment of shuttered power plant sites, and to provide the necessary support, training and tools for impacted communities to actively participate in the transition and implementation of clean energy resources. The first section of this report examines the lessons learned from other jurisdictions in when and how to address the fiscal challenges of retiring electric generation units (EGU’s). The challenges New York faces are not unlike the challenges faced by communities, legislators, and plant owners during periods of deindustrialization of the late 1960’s through 1980’s, described in Section One below, which additionally provides: 1. An evaluation of case studies that address the process of retirement, decommissioning, remediation and preparation for redevelopment for future use, along with the state and federal policies and funding sources that made revitalization possible. 2. An overview of case studies that illustrate local government fiscal and workforce support to communities during periods of plant transformation. These periods encompass three historical phases: a. Deindustrialization of the 1960’s to1980’s; b. Federally Mandated Social Programs to Support Enforcement of Federal Regulations 1990’s to 2000; and c. Coal Plant Closures and Community Transition in the Age of Carbon Emissions Reductions: Federal and State Initiatives between 2000 to 2015; and Section Two examines four New York coal-fired generators, some of which are currently mothballed, retired, or struggling financially. In addition to providing profiles of each generator, Section Two also describes the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements that these generators have entered into with the towns, school boards, and counties in whose jurisdictions they are located. Due to the plants’ finances, several of the generators have made reduced PILOT payments in recent years, creating “budget gaps” for some of the communities. Finally, Section Three describes state and federal funding and support mechanisms that may be available to the New York communities described in Section Two. Because each community faces unique challenges and opportunities, this report does not attempt to provide specific recommendations for any of the communities. Rather, Section Three lists a number of support mechanisms that each community could consider in developing its own transition plan. New York State leadership can capitalize on the legislative legacy of prior eras and develop comprehensive approaches to reinvest in communities with obsolete industrial facilities that were once the primary source of jobs and economic activity, and revenue to local budgets

Analysis of Professors’ Perceptions Towards Institutional Redevelopment of Brownfield Sites in Alabama

This study was conducted to analyze professors’ perceptions on the institutional redevelopment of brownfield sites into usable greenspaces. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011) refers to brownfields as sites, (either facility/land) under public law § 107-118 (H.R. 2869), which are contaminated with a substance that is classified as a hazard or a pollutant. Usable greenspaces, however, are open spaces or any open piece of land that is undeveloped, has no buildings or other built structures, and is accessible to the public (EPA, 2015). Open green spaces provide recreational areas for residents and help to enhance the beauty and environmental quality of neighborhoods (EPA, 2015). In addition, in a study conducted by Dadvand et al., (2015) exposure to green space has been associated with better physical and mental health among elementary school children, and this exposure, according to Dadvand, could also influence cognitive development. Because of the institutional context provided in these articles and other research studies, a sequential mixed-methods study was conducted that investigated the perceptions of professors towards the redevelopment of brownfields near their campuses. This study provided demographics of forty-two college and university professors employed at two institutions in the state of Alabama, a southeastern region of the United States. Survey questions were structured to analyze qualitative data. The secondary method of analysis utilized descriptive statistics to measure the most important indicators that influences professors’ perceptions. The collection of quantitative data was adapted from an instrument designed by Kris Wernstedt, Lisa Crooks, and Robert Hersh (2003). Findings from the study showed that professors are knowledgeable and aware of the sociological and economic challenges in low income communities where brownfields are geographically located. Pseudonyms are used for the three universities which were contacted. Findings also indicate that Eta-One University is a recipient of an EPA Region 4 grant that focuses on educating low income communities in areas where brownfield sites are located. Recommendations from the study will be provided to local, state, and federal government agencies resulting from this data on professors’ perceptions on the redevelopment of brownfield sites and the role in which universities and college professors play

Barriers to Affordable Housing on Brownfield Sites

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank all interviewees that gave freely of their time. We especially thank those housing providers returning to comment on final drafts. Particular thanks go to Jonathan Stern (Bridge Housing), Craig Adelman (Amcal Housing and LeSar), John Kauh (Wells Fargo), and Linda Mandolini (Eden Housing). Further thanks to the anonymous reviewers who made valuable comments on the original version of the paper.Peer reviewedPostprin

Report on industrial lands focus groups

87 pp. Bookmarks supplied by UO. Tables, appendices. Published July 15, 1998. Captured January 13, 2008.Davis & Hibbitts, Inc. (DHI) is pleased to present a summary of key points based on focus group research conducted for a consortium of organizations working on a regional industrial lands strategy. The purpose of the research was to solicit opinions about industrial land availability and industry location considerations from six perspectives â geographic, warehousing/ distribution, business park/flex space, manufacturing, large campus industrial, and land use/environment/agriculture. This focus group research is part of a larger, broader effort to reach consensus on an industrial lands strategy for the region. The Port of Portland is leading this planning effort, along with the Oregon Economic Development Department, Portland Development Commission, Columbia River Economic Development Council, Commercial Real Estate Economic Coalition, Metro, and Portland General Electric. The full report presents in much more detail the key ideas and themes that emerged from the discussions which may be useful in deciding what additional research and planning needs to be done. Because this was a qualitative study, the information describes, rather than quantifies, the variety of views among focus group participants. [From the document]"This project was funded in part with Oregon State Lottery Funds administered by the Oregon Economic Development Department. The preparation of this report was funded in part with a grant from the Oregon State Lottery through the Regional Strategies Fund administered by the Oregon Economic Development Department and regionally administered through the Portland Development Commission for Multnomah and Washington Counties.