CONCEPT FACTSHEET

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Primarily considers SOIL QUALITY challenges ****

Mostly in URBAN & PERI-URBAN settings

No Net Land Take (NNLT) Hierarchy: REUSE

Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Hierarchy: REVERSE

Brownfield development usually refers to the process of reusing previously developed land that has become derelict, polluted, or vacant, in many cases as a result of past industrial activities (Alker et al., 2000). Unlike greenfield development, which extends built-up areas in undeveloped land, brownfield redevelopment works with the existing built environment and transforms underused or contaminated sites into new productive uses (Loures, 2023).

This makes brownfield development inherently tied to soil: since many brownfield sites carry contaminated soils and environmental degradation (linked to prior industrial use or other types of activities), redevelopment takes soil health and overall conditions into consideration in order to transform the site safely and sustainably. Soil restoration and remediation measures are therefore a key aspect of brownfield redevelopment, regardless of the new uses envisioned for the site.

In this way, brownfield development offers concrete pathways for soil-inclusive spatial planning, whether the site is transformed into housing, agricultural land, or open natural space, responding to various planning-related challenges while tackling soil-related ones simultaneously.

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Contents

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Definition & Background Information

Brownfield

The term brownfield has historically been defined from different viewpoints, with variations in scope depending on the context. In the UK planning context, for instance, brownfield was understood as the opposite of greenfield, the latter being defined as “land which has not previously been developed” (Alker et al., 2000, p. 52). In this sense, the term implied the presence of prior physical construction on the grounds, and often referred to sites associated with industrial activities, such as mineral extraction or sewage farming (ibid). In the United States, by contrast, definitions on brownfield included references to the condition of the site and its potential for redevelopment, implying that brownfield sites present contaminated soils. As defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency, brownfields are “abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination” (Tedd et al., 2001).

Recognising varying interpretations of the term, Alker et al. propose a broader, comprehensive definition, pointing at “any land or premises which has previously been used or developed and is not currently fully in use, although it may be partially occupied or utilised” (2000, p. 64). This definition encompasses sites that can be vacant, derelict or contaminated, and stresses that interventions are needed for brownfield to be made available for use.

Brownfield Development

The concept of brownfield (re)development “refers to the transformation of derelict areas into productive ones, remediating environmental contamination and revitalizing surrounding communities and ecosystems, while promoting sustainable development and a better quality of life for current and future users” (Loures, 2023, p. 53). In this sense, it holds promising potential for soil-inclusive planning, given it simultaneously deals with the revitalization of underused land and the improvement of soil conditions, addressing planning-related and soil-related challenges simultaneously. Planning interventions that aim to redevelop brownfield sites must therefore consider the new uses envisioned for the area (and the surrounding ones) while carefully assessing the necessary soil remediation measures to ensure contaminated soils are treated, and the resulting setting is safe for the desired human activities.

Advancing Planning Challenges

The application of this concept can help address the following soil-related planning challenges:

• Inefficient resource and land use management: Refraining from further land take and promoting more efficient use of already developed land through revitalization.
• Re-industrialization: By re-integrating productive areas into urban and peri-urban fabrics.
• Urban and rural shrinkage: Revitalizing underused or abandoned lands and infrastructure, improving the area’s liveability.
• Unhealthy and unsafe living environment: By restoring the condition of land previously inadequate to safely support human activities.
• Poor public space (quality and quantity): Provided the brownfield site is transformed into a public space, this challenge can be advanced by turning derelict or abandoned land into a lively and sustainable public space that promotes community life and improves accessibility to open spaces.

Across Scales & Contexts

This planning concept is mostly applied across peri-urban settings and in the outskirts of urban settlements, although it can also be linked to urban contexts.

Brownfield sites can be predominantly found in **industrial estates,** spatial settings characterized by low ratios of open surface and scarce vegetation, with large plots and street corridors. They are often located in urban peripheries. Examples of the application of this concept in the planning practice can also be found in areas characterized by modernist/functionalist morphologies and open fields.

In regional settlements characterised by monocentric arrangements, brownfield development can regenerate compacted, contaminated, or degraded soils while reducing pressure for expansion onto undeveloped land. In polycentric ones, it reuses degraded sites around urban centres and transport hubs to strengthen existing nodes rather than consume new land.

Soil Integration

The application of the planning concept Brownfield Development can help address the following Soil and Land Related Challenges: