Air and Water Quality Impacts of Brownfields Redevelopment

Case studies indicate that #brownfield redevelopment can offer significant environmental benefits when compared with alternative development scenarios. Estimates of air and water quality impacts of brownfield reuse for multiple revitalization projects in five municipal areas indicate that daily vehicle miles traveled per capita are 32 -57% lower and stormwater runoff is 43 - 60% lower for brownfields than conventional alternative or greenfield sites.

A number of previous studies compared the environmental performance of specific brownfield redevelopments with similar projects built on undeveloped greenfield sites. These studies examined single brownfield/infill developments and entailed extensive site-specific analysis. The comparison sites generally accommodated the same number of residential units and commercial square footage, but typically occupied more acreage per employee or residence and were less location efficient. A review of 12 of these studies concluded that brownfield/infill development results in significant environmental benefits when compared to their greenfield counterparts. However, making broader quantitative assessments applicable to brownfield redevelopment around the country requires a methodology that is more easily transferable. This study tests an analytical approach to quantifying the environmental impacts of multiple redevelopment projects in a given municipal area in a manner that can be replicated in other regions. The method was applied to five cities and their surrounding areas—Seattle, WA, Baltimore, MD, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, Emeryville, CA, and Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.

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