Brownfields to Parks

The Trust for Public Land understands that the lack of "new" developable land within cities presents a challenge to urban planners who are striving to turn park-poor areas into more livable neighborhoods. The solution could be close at hand: turning previously industrial properties, referred to as brownfields, into recreational spaces. A community can often experience economic revitalization by the creation of a single park, bringing people together around common goals and attracting commercial interests. The conversion of brownfields to parks also helps guarantee the livability and long-term success of community redevelopment projects.

What TPL Offers

TPL helps communities renew contaminated areas and transform them into parks and playgrounds. TPL understands how to assemble park and greenspace funding and has the real estate and technical expertise to secure and clean up these sites on behalf of the public. Most importantly, TPL understands the vision of making formerly unsightly and hazardous land available for public use and recreation.

TPL scrutinizes the hazards and the opportunities of potential brownfield conversions in terms of contamination, human health risk, opportunity cost, and the potential of impacting a neighborhood economically. From planning through construction, TPL works closely with community members, public agencies, and technical experts to ensure a safe and successful outcome.