Performance Measurement in Local Sustainability Policy by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Public Policy, Public Affairs & Administration, Political Science, Environmental Policy, General
ISBN: 9781351244251
Google: 5kBNDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 38810289
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

Redevelopment and Revitalization as Sustainable Economic Development

Land available for development purposes can be categorized into three groups: greenfields, grayfields, and brownfields (Opp & Osgood, 2013). Greenfields are defined as the undeveloped parcels of land in a community. Local greenfields are usually made up of some combination of open space, natural areas, and/or farmland. These types of properties are most often found on the periphery of a city and may not have extensive existing infrastructure or public service availability associated with them. Grayfields, unlike greenfields, are properties that have been previously developed within a community. These properties are most often abandoned or underutilized commercial space such as an old shopping mall or big box store. Grayfields get their name from the large areas of gray surface parking lots found on many of these properties, which give them a gray appearance. Brownfields, similar to grayfields, have been previously developed. However, unlike grayfields, brownfield properties’ reuse and redevelopment is complicated by the actual or the potential presence of environmental contamination. Contamination on brownfield properties can include toxins in the building envelope or in the ground or groundwater. Brownfield properties generally require some level of remediation of the contamination in order for them to be reused and/or redeveloped. Historically, the concern over the presence of contamination has worked as a significant deterrent to the redevelopment of these properties. As a result, many communities face a significant problem with the presence of brownfields in their jurisdiction (Opp, 2009).

Sustainable economic development efforts that focus on revitalization and/or redevelopment generally utilize various policies to try and pursue development in a way that minimizes or outright avoids developing a community’s greenfield properties. Policies in this category will usually focus development inward toward the areas in the city that are already well developed. Revitalization and redevelopment policies will also often seek to decrease sprawl and to preserve open space in a community while still pursuing economic development goals related to jobs, tax revenue, or wealth increases (Opp & Osgood, 2013). In addition to the environmental benefits associated with reducing or limiting sprawl; evidence demonstrates that focusing development on existing properties within a community will create an additional economic benefit by decreasing infrastructure costs for both the developer and the city (Opp & Hollis, 2005).

Smart Growth, a topic covered extensively in Chapter 7, is largely focused on sustainable economic development through policies like infill, main street programs, brownfields revitalization, and other common forms of local redevelopment and revitalization efforts. Although these policies are certainly an important part of pursuing sustainable economic development, the details of these policies are focused on in Chapter 7 and will not be covered in depth in this chapter. Instead, this chapter will focus on the second major category of sustainable economic development: unique place-based economic development strategies. Additionally, this chapter will highlight some additional economic development tools that are sometimes used in sustainable economic development efforts across the country.

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