Abstract
The Circular Economy (CE) is expected to accelerate the use of resources with bio-based origin. Cities have an important role in such an economy, not only as main consumers but also because vegetation provides numerous ecosystem services essential for the well-being of urban dwellers. Urban lands are, however, heavily burdened with both past and present activities and ongoing urbanization. Retrofitting obsolete and potentially contaminated brownfields provides an opportunity to engage with bio-based land uses within the city. At the same time, plants are an important part of Gentle Remediation Options (GROs), a more sustainable alternative for managing contamination risks and restoring soil health. This paper (1) provides a tentative selection of Urban Greenspaces (UGSs) relevant for brownfields, and a compilation of ecosystem services provided by the selected UGSs, and (2) presents a framework covering the 14 selected bio-based land uses on brownfields, including GRO interventions over time. This framework provides three practical tools: the conceptualization of linkages between GROs and prospective UGS uses, a scatter diagram for the realization of 14 UGS opportunities on brownfields, and a decision matrix to analyze the requirements for UGS realization on brownfields.
Highlights
Cities are growing at an accelerating rate, with half of the world population living in urban areas and with a ratio that may increase up to 66% by 2050 [1,2]
The closest to an overarching European definition of brownfields came via the Concerted Action on Brownfield and Economic Regeneration Network (CABERNET), a research project funded under the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Commission (FP5, 1998 to 2002) [26,27]
If the exposure source is sealed under a solid surface, the surface itself can still be used immediately through low-cost intervention, e.g., for vertical farming in raised boxes [100]
Summary
Cities are growing at an accelerating rate, with half of the world population living in urban areas and with a ratio that may increase up to 66% by 2050 [1,2] To support this influx of new inhabitants, cities spatially expand even faster, twice the rate of their population growth rates, on average [3]. We elaborate on the past and present trends of repurposing brownfields, emphasising the use of vegetation throughout the process We explore this subject from the perspective of bio-based land use in a CE to further signify its relevance.
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