• Northeast-Midwest Institute Reports and Papers
• Links to Research, Publications, News by Others

Brownfields and urban infill redevelopment produce significant energy benefits by reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) due to shorter work trips, shorter shopping trips, and higher nonauto means of travel. When these projects also involve the high energy efficiency standards of green buildings, there is a dual benefit for energy and climate change.

The Institute’s papers and presentations aim to inform the public discourse on climate change with information related to the energy benefits of brownfields and urban infill. In simplistic terms, sustainable urban redevelopment can be a centerpiece in BOTH climate change strategies AND strategies to rebuild cities and reduce urban socioeconomic ills.

Links to related topics:

• Revitalizing Older Cities Initiative
• Environmental and Economic Impacts of Brownfields Redevelopment

Market Barriers to Sustainable Development Project

Northeast-Midwest Institute partnered with US EPA Region 5 and Delta Institute to define and help overcome the barriers to broad adoption of green building and sustainable development practices. The final report for the project is:

• Removing Market Barriers to Green Development: Principles and action projects to promote widespread adoption of green development practices (January 2009)

Working documents outlining some specific issues, as well as the workshop results, are as follows:

• Fostering Green Development Practices- Roles of the Public Sector (January 2008)
• Incentives for Green Development (summary notes from the July 2008 working meeting)
• Market Barriers to Green Development (Summary of the May 2007 workshop)

Northeast-Midwest Institute Reports and Papers

• Greening Brownfields - Green Jobs, Renewable Energy, and Energy-Efficient Locations, March 2010, Evans Paull
• "Brown to Green: Sustainable Redevelopment of America's Brownfield Sites", December 2008, Greg Lewis
  
• Energy Benefits of Urban Infill, Brownfields, and Sustainable Urban Redevelopment, October 2008, Northeast-Midwest Institute paper published in the June, 2008 issue of The Geopolitics of Energy, a publication of the Canadian Energy Research Institute
• Briefing: “Sustainable Urban Redevelopment and Climate Change,” co-sponsored by the Northeast-Midwest Institute, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Smart Growth America, and Reconnecting America, July 17, 2008, U.S. House of Representatives.
  Papers and presentations included:
  • Sustainable Urban Redevelopment and Climate Change - Briefing White Paper
  • Chris Leinberger - Arcadia Development Projects
  • Brian Leary - Atlantic Station Redevelopment Project
  • Ralph DiNola - Green Building Services, Portland Armory Project
  • Geoff Anderson - Smart Growth America Sustainable Urban Growth Model
• Brownfields, Infill, and Energy -- Evans Paull presentation at the National Brownfields Conference (May, 2008)
• Establishing Pilot Programs for Sustainable Development and Alternative Energy Reuse of Brownfields
• Sustainable Urban Redevelopment as a Climate Change Solution -- Brownfields News Newsletter (March, 2008)
• Chart/list of Green Brownfields Projects
• Gateway South, Creative Local Financing Spurs Green Corridor (January 2007)
• Energy and Sustainable Urban Redevelopment – by the Numbers

Links to Notable Sustainable Brownfields Projects

Brownfields/Mixed Use Projects with Energy Production

• Georgetown Land Development, Redding, CT – Hydroelectric, Photovoltaics, and Fuel Cells
• Portland South Waterfront – Solar and Combined Heat and Power
• Via Verde – Bronx Affordable Housing Site with Geothermal and Photovoltaics

Brownfields Redevelopment with Energy Production as the Primary Use

• An Old Steel Mill Retools to Produce Clean Energy – Lackawanna, New York
• Brockton, Mass Brownfields Site Turned into Brightfields
• Superfund Site converted to Ethanol Production in Mead, Nebraska
• Niagara Brownfields Site Planned Ethanol Production

Brownfields Redevelopment Combined with Land Conservation and Eco-Restoration

• Pennsauken, NJ Waterfront Combines 200-ac Land Conservation with Mixed use
• Milwaukee Road – Land Conservation and Industrial Redevelopment

Links to Research, Publications, News by Others

• Capital Markets Partnership, National Green Building Underwriting Standard
• Summary of LEED Government Incentives, February, 2008, U.S. Green Buildings Council and New Buildings Institute
• Green Buildings Deliver Predicted Energy Savings, U.S. Green Buildings Council and New Buildings Institute, 2007
• Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change, Urban Land Institute, Smart Growth America, and National Center for Smart Growth, December, 2007
• Towards a Climate-Friendly Urban Environment, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 2006
• Atlantic Steel Case Study – Brownfields Site Projected to Save VMTs, U.S. EPA, 2006
• Brownfields and Density Study, George Washington University, 2002
• My Other Car is a Bright Green City, Alex Steffen, World Changing, 2007
• Energy Use in Attached and Detached Residential Developments: Survey Results, Florida Solar Energy Center, 2007
• Walk Score