Environmental justice strives for equal access for all citizens to a healthy environment, and refers to unequal exposure to environmental contamination due to locational variables. Human health is often compromised by this contaminant exposure. “Communities of concern” are frequently communities populated by people of color and/or low income. In addition to air, water, and soil pollution, specific problems include degraded structures, poor schools, unemployment, high crime, and poor roads and transportation systems. This article addresses some of these issues and makes policy recommendations for business leaders, local government leaders, and those otherwise responsible for enhancing the quality of life in affected communities.

The process of brownfield redevelopment often demands higher levels of information than traditional real estate transactions. While much of this information is pertinent to site identification and remediation, additional information is needed to address issues that are important for better public understanding of the process by which brownfields can be made clean and productive. Decision makers within municipal government need more information from developers on the site identification and selection process, how properties are characterized as suitable for redevelopment, and how various redevelopment options are evaluated. Other stakeholder groups, including regulators, lenders, realtors, and the general public, are becoming more involved in the prioritization and acceptance of redevelopment plans. Information is also needed to address growing concerns over envir onmental justice, social equity, and quality of life. This article discusses information needs and public issues in brownfield redevelopment projects with respect to information access, screening and selection of properties, intergovernmental cooperation, public participation, and the evaluation of the impacts and risks of redevelopment alternatives (including the no action alternative). Innovative information technologies help create decision support systems, which include enhanced geographic information systems, site prioritization methods, and training programs. These decision support systems are information rich and technologically advanced, and they have been valuable in providing information to decision makers and the public to evaluate redevelopment options. Such systems have been used in several brownfield redevelopment programs in Michigan, and can provide models for other communities engaged in brownfield redevelopment.

The recent growth of urban brownfield redevelopment and greenfield protection initiatives is a positive indicator of the redirected priorities of the public and private sectors to restore and regenerate sustainable places and spaces in the American landscape. Concepts such as “sustainable development” and “environmental stewardship” are universal ideals, achievable goals, and intergenerational necessities that have practical applications. This article suggests that brownfield redevelopment and greenfield protection are land use strategies that emphasize long–term sustainability goals rather than unrestrained economic growth and resource expansion. Brownfield initiatives are deeply intertwined with community economic redevelopment and job creation, and they are also important aids in health and safety issues, neighborhood restoration, and the reuse of urban space to counter suburban sprawl into green, open spaces. Planning processes such as “smart growth” and “urban infill” help to better manage development and slow down sprawl. Central to smart growth are brownfields and infill development, because smart growth strives to use underdeveloped areas within the urban environment more efficiently. Urban infill, such as brownfields redevelopment, holds the promise of enabling cities and communities to grow and evolve over time through many incremental changes. By creating places of enduring value and by restoring and reusing buildings and other urban spaces, we can build common ground between sustainability and historic preservation efforts, and provide alternatives to developing greenfield sites.

The popular Uptown Bistro Restaurant represents the successful adaptive reuse of a tire service shop that left behind waste oils and hydraulic fluid on a quarter–acre lot in the middle of Main Street. The 0.24–acre former automobile service site is located in the mountain town of Frisco, Colorado. Prior to the mid–1990s, this relatively small town (population 2,800) had been a fueling stop, a virtual stepchild to nearby ski resorts. Following a tremendous makeover, Frisco has become a well–regarded “local stop” known for shops, restaurants, and overnight accommodations servicing the entire Summit County resort community. Cleanup and redevelopment of the Uptown Bistro Restaurant locale in 1996 was a pioneering development at the beginning of this transformation.