Brownfield Research Articles

Progress and Challenges in Global Research on Value-Oriented Rewilding of Urban Industrial Wastelands

Progress and Challenges in Global Research on Value-Oriented Rewilding of Urban Industrial Wastelands

Laissez-Faire or Sensitive Policymaking: The Legacy of Creative Clusters on Brownfield Sites in Berlin

With his saying “Berlin—poor, but sexy!,” former Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit framed the motto for a decade of transition in which the German capital became a Mecca for artists, media industries, and creative people from all over the world. Building on a longstanding tradition of tolerating diversity and as a centre of high culture and bohemians, the city developed a new cultural-political identity from a deep transformation crisis after German unification and the extensive loss of its industrial base. In conjunction with a blossoming of temporary uses in a wide variety of vacant properties, often abandoned production, infrastructure, or storage areas, an intense creative scene unfolded. Since the 2010s, this scene has been massively threatened by displacement due to the changed real estate market situation. Over the years, the city has tried to counteract this situation through cultural policy initiatives and niche projects for bottom-up initiatives, with limited success. Against the backdrop of accelerated development of former brownfield sites and funding cuts in urban cultural policy, the question currently arises as to what place subculture can occupy in urban policy in the future. Based on official documents, books, scholarly articles, project websites, newspaper articles, and own observations, this article attempts to evaluate the respective policies in the city over time, to place them in the context of approaches to a more land-security-oriented policy, and to make clear what role the re-used spaces and buildings from the industrial age play in this.

Regeneration design of mining brownfield based on nature-based solutions

AbstractMining industry once was a strong contributor to the economic development of cities and created economic benefits for human beings, but ecological problems are increasing day by day. This study takes the quarry in Nagykovacsi, Hungary as an example, and through comprehensive evaluation of the site, utilizes nature-based solutions to carry out the design practice of seeking new development vitality and opportunities for the brownfield site after mining. Finally, it summarizes the ecological remediation concepts and strategies suitable for mining brownfield sites, and contributes to the reuse of urban land space and the creation of a favourable ecological environment.

Ruderality and refugia in the ruins: heritage, alienation, and post-industrial naturecultures in Northwest Wales

After Glyn Rhonwy slate quarry in Gwynedd County, Wales closed in 1930, the process of natural succession began to blanket the hills and pits with green vegetation. The ruderal ecologies which now call the quarry home are an unruly coalescence of ‘weeds and waste’, often characterised as insignificant and unwanted. Despite growing awareness of brownfield sites as oases of biodiversity, global heritage bodies like UNESCO have not been convinced of their value. Inspired by the concept of alienation within feminist posthumanism and incorporating studies from the natural sciences, this case study critically addresses the nature/culture binary which constitutes the framework of UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention. Through a combination of landscape survey and policy analysis, I argue that the species constellations which thrive in the quarry voids of Northwest Wales are also of outstanding ecological, educational, and aesthetic value, worthy of consideration at the highest level of heritage policy and practice.

Brownfields to Healthfields: A Retrospective Ripple Effect Mapping Evaluation in Three Rural Communities

The environments in which we live influence our health behaviors and outcomes. The redevelopment of brownfields sites to health-promoting land uses may provide an array of benefits to individuals and communities, but these impacts can be particularly difficult to assess in rural communities using traditional evaluation approaches. Using Ripple Effects Mapping, we evaluated three rural brownfields redevelopment sites across Appalachian portions of EPA Region 3. Adult members of these communities participated in guided reflection on the redevelopment and subsequent impacts. Data were constructed as digital mind maps, then coded to the Community Capitals Framework by two authors coding independently. Member checking was conducted with representative workshop participants. Commonly cited impacts were site improvements, facilitation of social and physical activity, and engaging community identity. The most discussed community capitals were social and built; the least discussed capitals were natural and political. Future directions for brownfield redevelopment evaluation are discussed.

Integrated Seismic Attributes as a Tool to Delineate the Oligocene Channels Architecture, Baltim Field, Offshore Central Nile Delta, Egypt

The hydrocarbons in the Nile Delta area are produced from both clastic and non-clastic reservoirs, with ages ranging from the Early Cretaceous to the Plio-Pleistocene. The study area is situated in Baltim field offshore, Central Nile Delta, approximately 10 kilometers off the Egyptian coast (Fig. 1). The main producing reservoir in Baltim field is Abu Madi Formation (Miocene age) as there were many discoveries in the last decades resulting in most of the area had been considered as a brown field. Nowadays, the Oligocene section is considered as the hope for new hydrocarbon potentiality in the deep section (below Miocene). Among the drilled sedimentary sequence in the Nile Delta, Tineh Formation (Oligocene age) contains multiple levels of reservoir rocks with high-quality reservoirs including: Satis-1, Satis-3, Notus-1, Tineh-1, Atoll-1 & Salamat-1 (Fig. 2). This work's objective is to delineate the different channels of the Oligocene section in trial to add more reserves to the field. One of the main challenges for the exploration of these deep reservoirs is to delineate the reservoir geometry itself. A strong tool for improving bed thickness imaging and mapping, geologic discontinuities and channel delineation is the spectral decomposition technique providing more details than the conventional amplitude extractions. So, in this work, we applied the spectral decomposition tool to track the geometric dimensions of the Oligocene channels. RGB color blending performed from 10, 16, and 20 Hz represents the most significant geological features to get a better picture of the channel’s geometry. After determining the channel’s boundary by using the RGB blending, the channel geo-body was extracted. This technique helps in reducing the uncertainties of hydrocarbon exploration. Consequently to the integration between RMS amplitude maps and the channel geo-body that was extracted from the spectral decomposition, Oligocene channels became clearer and the boundaries well defined.

Care at the centre of the post-pandemic sustainability of grassroots cultural centres and culture-led urban regeneration. A comparison of western and eastern perspectives

ABSTRACT The redevelopment and management of brownfield sites by grassroots cultural organizations have been shown to have a transformative role on communities and cities, implementing bottom-up culture-led urban regeneration rather than top-down models which often lead to gentrification. Based on analyses and interviews with actors from major grassroots cultural centres in Berlin (ufaFabrik) and Bratislava (Nová Cvernovka), this study challenges previous research on cultural brownfields focusing on temporary artistic interventions, arguing instead that long-term commitment, care, participation and cooperation between cultural organizations and local administrations can lead to more sustainable regeneration models in which cultural brownfields operate as commons-based ecosystems of care. The study also offers a unique insight into the “western” vs. “eastern” specifics, highlighting the fact that post-socialist administrations can serve as a barrier to a successful redevelopment through stigmatized public-NGO relationships, where artists and communities are often perceived as a “political opposition”.

Urban novel ecosystems as affective landscapes

Intertwined within a patchwork of different types of land use and land cover, novel ecosystems are urban ecosystems that have no historical analogues and contain novel species assemblages. Some researchers and practitioners in the field of conservation and restoration regard urban novel ecosystems unworthy of concern, while other groups call for their preservation due to the rate of biodiversity loss in cities and limited access to nature among some social groups. However, very little is known about how people perceive novel ecosystems (such as informal green spaces, post-industrial or derelict land sites awaiting redevelopment, brownfield sites, vacant lots, interstitial or gap spaces) which are often characterised by assemblages of wild, spontaneous, and overgrown vegetation, but also remanent or derelict urban infrastructure in cities. This paper addresses this gap by firstly asking how people percieve assemblages of wild-looking vegetation and urban infrastructure often found in novel ecosystems and how our affective and aesthetic responses to these ecosystems affects our attitudes towards wildness in cities. To begin to unpack this question, we obtain data from a series of exploratory workshops held in four cities in the global north where we asked people ‘what is urban nature?’ Our findings suggest that value judgements that people ascribe to novel ecosystems are often deeply polarised, but they are influenced by different ecological and urban conditions that people encounter within them. However, some negative perceptions about novel ecosystems may be mediated by situational cues; these situational cues could have important implications for rewilding and restoration programmes that aim to reconnect urban communities with nature through socio-ecological stewardship. To conclude, areas for further research that could improve our understanding of the social values of novel ecosystems in cities and the influence that these ecosystems may have on affective encounters with urban nature are proposed.

Automated geotechnical logging of core box images using machine learning

ABSTRACT Geotechnical characterization is contingent on reliable data to reduce uncertainty in the conditions of slope walls or underground workings. However, geotechnical data for greenfield and brownfield sites are often limited. The data that are available are often inconsistent and difficult to reliably use to inform the geotechnical domain model. SRK has developed machine learning workflows using deep learning for geotechnical classification of existing core box photographs to provide a reliable and objective data set that can be used to inform rock mass characterization and structural modeling. Conventional geotechnical parameters are often unsuitable for automation due to the reliance on subjective decisions by the logger for interval lengths or defining naturally open versus closed breaks. Three classification systems have been developed: the Core Damage Index (CDI), the Pseudo-RQD, and the Break Frequency. The CDI classifies discrete intervals within the photographs according to the average clast sizes relative to the core diameter to provide a high-resolution view of the variability of damage down a drill hole. Pseudo-RQD and Break Frequency are calculated by mapping the breaks and rubble zones observed on drill core images.

Optimal location to land banking practices in urban-rural informal land market continuum of Ghana

Land banking practices in complex informal land markets are growing in developing countries. However, the land banking (LB) literature predominantly focuses on publicly driven land banks operating within formal land markets. Against this backdrop, this study investigates optimal locations for LB projects in Ghana's complex informal land markets from the perspective of private and semi-public real estate developers. Utilising a two-stage research process, first, the study developed a conceptual framework by using: (1) suppositions regarding space under economic geography; and (2) theoretical suppositions on the use of LB and its influence on LB locational choices uncovered from an interpretive hermeneutic literature review. The second stage focused on an empirical assessment of the conceptual framework by taking four urbanised regions in Ghana. The case study stage uses primary data from 30 interviewees selected using purposive and snowball sampling, while secondary data comprised land bank inventories from the regional Lands Commissions of the case study regions. Results revealed land title security as the primary factor determining optimal locations for land banks. There are significant challenges related to land title security in urban and inner parts of peri-urban areas. These challenges are aggravating the transformation of agricultural lands into residential lands in developers' preferred land bank locations. Based on the ongoing land transformation occurrences, the study underscores the need for policy responses that enhance title security to encourage developers to diversify their land banking locational preferences beyond solely greenfield sites to a mix of green and urban brownfield sites.

Digestate Improves Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) Growth and Fiber Production at a Chlor-Alkali Site.

Marginal lands have been proposed to produce non-food crop biomass for energy or green materials. For this purpose, the selection, implementation, and growth optimization of plant species on such lands are key elements to investigate to achieve relevant plant yields. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a herbaceous perennial that grows spontaneously on contaminated lands and was described as suitable to produce fibers for material applications. Two mercury-contaminated soils from industrial wastelands with different properties (grassland soil and sediment landfill) were used in this study to assess the potential growth of stinging nettle in a greenhouse mesocosm experiment. Two organic amendments were studied for their impact on nettle growth. The solid digestate from organic food wastes significantly doubled plant biomass whereas the compost from green wastes had a lower impact. The highest doses of organic amendments significantly increased the number of fibers, which doubled following digestate application, while reducing leaf Hg concentration. Both amendments significantly improved soil respiration and enzymatic activities linked to the microbial biomass in the soil from the sediment landfill by the end of the experiment. In the context of a phytomanagement scenario, solid digestate would be a preferred amendment resource to improve nettle production on industrial wastelands.

The design and validation of a decision support system (DSS) for the preliminary risk assessment of brownfield sites (PRABS)

The design and validation of a decision support system (DSS) for the preliminary risk assessment of brownfield sites (PRABS)

Vitality behind desolation: Characteristics and succession process of plant communities in the Chongqing special steel plant brownfield

Phytoremediation is a sustainable way to clean contaminated urban soil, but selecting the right plants and designing communities is crucial. This study focuses on the vegetation in a disused steel plant in Chongqing, China, abandoned for nearly two decades. The goal is to reveal the plant community and succession patterns to inform the restoration of brownfield sites. This study combined the sample line and plot to investigate the vegetation and its growth environment in the Steel Plant. Information was recorded, including plant species, quantity, distribution, soil nutrients, humidity, and light. Cluster analysis categorized plant community types, and redundancy analysis examined the link between environmental conditions and plant types. The study found that: 1) There are 65 plant species (including 13 native trees) in the steel plant’s brownfield area, with Broussonetia papyrifera, Pteris vittata, and Debregeasia orientalis being the most abundant. The plants inside the plant were divided into seven groups based on species composition. 2) Soil moisture showed a significant positive correlation (Pearson index of 0.628) with plant survival, followed by a notable correlation with light intensity. 3) Environmental conditions partly influenced plant species composition and abundance variations. 4) 11 hyper-accumulating plant species were identified, focusing on three: the As hyper-accumulator Pteris vittata and the Cd hyper-accumulators Solanum nigrum and Debregeasia orientalis. The findings of this research will offer valuable insights for applying phytoremediation techniques in addressing contamination issues in brownfields within steel plants.

Multicriteria Evaluation Framework for Industrial Heritage Adaptive Reuse: The Role of the ‘Intrinsic Value’

At the end of the 20th century, most industrial cities faced a massive phase of de-industrialisation, resulting in abandoned areas. However, these areas, rich in history and heritage, can represent significant resources for the regeneration of entire territories. Adaptive Reuse (AR) is one of the most appropriate strategies for the sustainable regeneration of brownfield sites: it gives new life to a ‘dead’ land, extending its use value so that it can continue to be enjoyed both by present and future generations. Decision-making processes concerning Industrial Heritage Adaptive Reuse (IHAR) cannot ignore the role that ‘intrinsic value’ plays in orienting development choices in such areas. Adopting participatory decision-making processes enables the inclusion of different values and interests of the stakeholders and, at the same time, increasing their awareness about the decision-making problem, thus reducing conflicts. This contribution intends to propose an evaluation framework to assess the multidimensional impacts of IHAR, considering the different values characterising them, and to support decision-making processes for the identification of the ‘preferable’ transformation scenario. This evaluation framework is applied, through the use of the TOPSIS multi-criteria evaluation method, in the case study of the ex-Italsider area in Bagnoli district (Naples, Italy), an industrial steel plant decommissioned in the early 1990s.

Characterization of mine spoils for the reclamation of degraded lands of the Jos-Bukuru tin field, central Nigeria

Tin mining operations on the Jos Plateau have left a lasting impact on the environment, resulting in derelict land, mine spoils, and over a thousand abandoned mining ponds. These ponds have become potential hazards, endangering unsuspecting members of the public. This study aims to provide a comprehensive geochemical and geotechnical characterization of the mine spoils to assess their suitability for the reclamation and restoration of the degraded mined lands. The geochemical analysis reveals that the mine spoils exhibit a strong to moderate level of acidity, with a pH range of 3.91 to 5.90 (average: 4.85). Furthermore, they display deficiencies in essential nutrients such as phosphorus (average: 0.02%) and potassium (average: 0.31%), as well as trace elements such as copper (average: 19.15 ppm), manganese (average: 165.15 ppm), and zinc (average: 53.24 ppm). Notably, the mine spoils are enriched in iron (average: 6.31%). These findings highlight the inadequate presence of both micronutrient and macronutrient elements necessary for successful revegetation which is a crucial component of reclamation. Results from the geotechnical tests indicate that the mine spoils possess an average fines content of 56.03%, a mean liquid limit of 38.06%, and a mean plasticity index of 15.52%. Additionally, the average linear shrinkage value is measured at 10%. The average values for maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) are 1.65 g/cm³ and 19%, respectively. The unsoaked California bearing ratio (CBR) averages 34.64%, while the coefficient of permeability for the spoil is approximately 1.24x10-3 mm/sec. Furthermore, the spoils average cohesion (C) was measured to be 12.150 while the mean angle of internal friction is 30.77 KN/M2. These results collectively indicate that mechanical and chemical stabilization, involving the use of lime, fly ash, and other soil-stabilizing agents is imperative for the effective reclamation of the degraded lands using the mine spoils. Such measures if adopted and implemented will mitigate the risk of accidents and drowning incidents from mining ponds and other abandoned pits involving unsuspecting members of the public and will contribute to the overall environmental restoration efforts in the Jos-Bukuru Tin Field.

Lead brownfields and birth defects in North Carolina 2003-2015: A cross-sectional case-control study.

Brownfields consist of abandoned and disused sites, spanning many former purposes. Brownfields represent a heterogenous yet ubiquitous exposure for many Americans, which may contain hazardous wastes and represent urban blight. Neonates and pregnant individuals are often sensitive to subtle environmental exposures. We evaluate if residential exposure to lead (Pb) brownfields is associated with birth defects. Using North Carolina birth records from 2003 to 2015, we sampled 169,499 births within 10 km of a Pb brownfield with 3255 cardiovascular, central nervous, or external defects identified. Exposure was classified by binary specification of residing within 3 km of a Pb brownfield. We utilized multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for demographic covariates available from birth records and 2010 Census to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Effect measure modification was assessed by inclusion of interaction terms and stratification for the potential modifiers of race/ethnicity and diabetes status. We observed positive associations between cardiovascular birth defects and residential proximity to Pb brownfields, OR (95%CI): 1.15 (1.04, 1.26), with suggestive positive associations for central nervous 1.16 (0.91, 1.47) and external defects 1.19 (0.88, 1.59). We did observe evidence of effect measure modification via likelihood ratio tests (LRT) for race/ethnicity for central nervous and external defect groups (LRT p values 0.08 and 0.02). We did observe modification by diabetes status for the cardiovascular group (LRT p value 0.08). Our results from this analysis indicate that residential proximity to Pb brownfields is associated with cardiovascular birth defects with suggestive associations for central nervous and external defects. In-depth analyses of individual defects and other contaminants or brownfield site functions may reveal additional novel associations.

Planning natural gas supply chain pathways for energy system decarbonisation: An Australian case study

The future role of natural gas systems in a deeply decarbonised world is very uncertain. This work seeks to characterise the changes that the clean energy transition is likely to induce in the natural gas chain, across extraction and transmission, distribution networks and gas consumption/use trends, for various scenarios with different demand and supply drivers. First, the results of a least-cost macro-scale energy system planning optimisation are explored to identify future natural gas demand and supply requirements. Second, those findings are used as inputs to a detailed analysis of the full gas supply chain, from extraction to final use, to examine the evolution of i) stored resource levels; ii) transmission and distribution networks operation and financing; and iii) required capacity and siting of gas generation; all, with a realistic account of the related infrastructure. Australia is investigated as a case study that relies on natural gas for both domestic and export purposes. Results project a shift towards a more localised gas consumption to be largely supplied by fewer basins, with associated potential transmission and extraction bottlenecks. They anticipate an overall less utilised, ageing distribution network with potential challenges to asset reliability and financing. Finally, they demonstrate both the scheduled and early retirement of fossil generation assets can allow the siting of considerable amounts of new gas power firming capacity on brownfield sites, thus offering an opportunity to reduce total system costs.

Muddy Waters

Coastal development did not arise from sovereign property rights to the coast or efforts to fix moving shorelines in law. Instead, it emerged from ideas of the public good and public trust that vested the protection of shores and seas in modern states. State protection supported coastal development, especially ports, in the era of steamship technology. By examining case studies from seventeenth-century to late nineteenth-century coastal India, this essay illustrates how the idea of state protection emerged through legal disputes over the obligations of littoral societies, international law, customary practices, definitions of navigable waters, accretion, and the status of subterranean or derelict land. The resultant terraqueous framework was legally plural. Nevertheless, it strengthened state claims over coastal areas and facilitated coastal development by circumscribing the boundaries of littoral societies’ claims that have traditionally relied on fishing or livelihoods tied to these waters.

Biodiversity prospecting for phytoremediation programs intended for utilizing polluted lands and obtaining bioeconomy

AbstractLand degradation and soil contamination have become global problem due to irresponsible anthropogenic activities and the overutilization of natural resources by humans. Land degradation and contamination due to toxic heavy metals have adversely impacted not only crop productivity but also the overall environmental health of our planet. Mitigation and management of polluted land are urgently required to achieve the goal of sustainable development because of the continuous human population explosion. In recent years, the biodiversity under phytoremediation is gaining scientists' attention for utilizing polluted lands and obtaining a bio‐based economy aimed at economically valuable and nonedible native plants. In the present review, we have focused on the biodiversity prospecting and phytoremediation potentials of economically important native plants, which may open up new horizons for sustainable development and redevelopment of polluted land sites.

Sustainable use of composted sewage sludge: Metal(loid) leaching behaviour and material suitability for application on degraded soils

Composted sewage sludge was investigated as a promising material for the reclamation or remediation of degraded sites. Using sewage sludge as soil amendment provides environmental benefits and risks while supporting circularity and waste minimisation. This study aims to comprehensively assess the suitability of locally available low-cost sludge treatment for sustainable and environmentally safe topsoil disposal in a brownfield area affected by coal mining. A nine-month composting was conducted before field application to the soil environment. The objectives were to assess: (i) composting time-dependent and pH-dependent metal(loid) leachability from composted sludges, (ii) the effect of sludges on metal(loid) leachability from soil over the first six months, and (iii) metal(loid) plant uptake during the first vegetation season as well as the bioaccumulation and translocation factors. The set of standardised leaching experiments confirmed the positive effect of compost maturity, i.e. despite some fluctuations over time, metal(loid) availability from the final composts was very low. Some metals showed unusual pH-dependent behaviour with the highest leachability at pH 8 due to excessive release of dissolved organic matter from the not-yet-stabilised matrix. Ecotoxicity testing confirmed the safety of the final composts for further soil application. The sludge-amended plots displayed similar metal(loid) leaching and pH evolution in time compared to the control biomass-amended plot. However, plant species (Artemisia vulgaris L.) that formed the natural vegetation cover of the experimental plots showed cumulative metal(loid) uptake. Cadmium and zinc were identified as the critical metals possibly related to the applied sludges, yielding high bioaccumulation and translocation factors. Yet, the quality of the compost feedstock, heterogeneity, and background values of the brownfield site need to be considered. Nevertheless, soil respiration indicated no adverse effects on soil health six months after sludge application. Overall, the composted material demonstrated potential suitability for remediation application in the studied area.