Land recycling is the reuse of abandoned, vacant, or underused properties for redevelopment or repurposing. It aims to ensure the reuse of developed land as part of new developments; cleaning up contaminated properties; and reuse and/or making use of used land surrounded by development or nearby infrastructure. End-uses from land recycling may include: mixed-use, residential, commercial, or industrial developments; and/or public open space such as urban open space used by urban parks, community gardens; or larger open space reserves such as regional parks.
Since many abandoned and underutilized properties lie within economically distressed and disadvantaged communities, land recycling often benefits and stimulates re-investment in historically underserved areas. However, due to the previous use of these sites, there can be many health hazards when dealing with the land, such as metals, plastics, asbestos, glass shards, gas generation, and radioactive substances. Such environmentally distressed properties, with site clean-up and mitigation considerations, are commonly referred to as brownfields.
Types Adaptive building The most common form of land recycling is the redevelopment of abandoned or unused building properties. Adaptive building is the development of an old abandoned building to repurpose it into a new building design and/or new purpose. Saving the old buildings and reusing the materials within the buildings is considered more environmentally sustainable than building all new structure with new materials. This repurposing of materials in the existing adaption or to a different building site could include wood, metals, roofing, brick, etc. and would provide products for new projects to prevent excessive waste. Site disruptions are also decreased due to less destruction and building.
The adaptive process also provides a more sustainable way to promote environmentally friendly infrastructure. It also reduces the amount of pollutants that can contaminate the soil and water around the abandoned building. This can be particularly beneficial when repurposing buildings that are near schools, residential neighborhoods, or other workplaces by mitigating occupational hazards from such contaminants commonly found in construction. This is considered more economically friendly when accounting for direct and indirect cost savings to the construction company and to the building owner. The cost of producing new materials and the services that come with manufacturing these products are much more costly than repurposing existing buildings.
Brownfield redevelopment The EPA classifies a brownfield as "A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." Currently in the United States there are more than 450,000 brownfields, which when improved have been shown to improve the surrounding environmental stress. Funding for these hazardous sites may be obtained through the EPA's Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program which empowers municipalities, landholders, and land developers to safely clean up and repurpose the land.
Non-infrastructure redevelopment Land recycling can also include those spaces that are not within urbanized environments are involve a building. Agricultural reuse is a very important part of land reuse where an existing field might have been abandoned due to nutrient depletion, and can be developed into something else. In addition to this the redevelopment of underutilized land into parks, community gardens and open space reservoirs are also prominent.
Other terms
Other commonly used terms can relate to or serve as synonyms of land recycling: Infill development: development that takes place within existing communities, making maximum use of the existing infrastructure instead of building on previously undeveloped land; Sustainable development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; and Brownfield development: development of real property for which its reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
Benefits Social and economic revitalization
Land recycling helps clean up and revitalize inner cities by returning abandoned, idle, or underused sites to productive use, bolstering community spirit, creating jobs and boosting local tax revenues.
The re-use of land revitalizes communities and renews economic activity, particularly in underserved urban areas. Abandoned, idled, and vacant properties often lie in former industrial and commercial areas, typically in urban and historically disadvantaged areas. These sites can be community eyesores, negatively impacting social and economic development, and often human and environmental health. The failure to redevelop brownfields in particular translates into potentially more exposure to toxins and the loss of economic and housing benefits that can come from appropriate redevelopment.
By putting these properties to new and productive use, land recycling encourages growth of businesses and services in such areas, helping to break up concentrations of poverty, creating jobs, and stimulating additional private investment and local tax revenue. An abandoned, well-situated, factory site can be cleaned up and redeveloped into a much-needed mixed-use development with a grocery store, senior housing, and access to public transportation. The addition of neighborhood-serving retail, affordable housing, or a clean public park in a disadvantaged community can boost local spirit and improve overall quality of life.
Alternative to sprawl Land recycling increases density in urban areas by reducing urban sprawl and unplanned, low-density, automobile-dependent developments.
Sprawl development scatters housing, public transit, jobs and other amenities farther apart, demanding more frequent use of cars for travel. The increase in miles travelled by vehicles causes a range of health and environmental problems, including air pollution, increased greenhouse gas emissions, a larger occurrence of traffic jams, and asthma. This results in a lower quality of life for residents, ever-increasing commute times, and the health implications of smog.
By moving new jobs, economic opportunities and community amenities farther from established populations, sprawl development can cripple once-thriving cities. This trend takes a toll on the socio-economic health of urban communities as growth retreats from the urban center.
Rather than take advantage of existing infrastructure such as roads, public transit, and public works, building sprawl projects abandons these resources and demands further consumption of land and resources.
Land recycling provides a theoretically viable solution to urban sprawl by focusing on reusing essential infrastructure and public resources. This approach leads to the development of compact, full-service neighborhoods that could minimize the need for vehicle use and decrease reliance on carbon-based energy. Rebuilding in urban neighborhoods can, in theory generate reinvestment in vibrant economic and cultural centers, rather than drawing away much-needed resources. As daily commute times decrease due to proximity to urban centres, quality of life can also be increased.
Directing development to urban cores Redirecting population growth and growth of businesses to already urbanized areas can help in the fostering of sustainable communities, as buildings are already near existing infrastructure and amenities, not requiring new infrastructure to be built as would be the case in greenfield development. Applying sustainable principles to land use and growth management requires that growth be redirected from scattered fringe areas back to our urban cores, where people, services and infrastructure already exist. Building up urban areas positively increases population density, providing the critical mass to support local services from coffee shops to grocery stores, public transit to libraries and symphony halls. Land recycling can also assist in the creation of affordable housing, as it increases housing stocks due to its use of land previously unused for residential purposes.
Addressing climate change Land recycling effectively curbs greenhouse-gas emissions by encouraging smart, compact growth that reduces vehicle dependence. Redevelopment within an urban core reduces commuting distances and therefore average vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) by creating residential, office, and other amenities within proximity. Since transportation alone accounts for a third of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted in the United States, land recycling offers a key tool in any fight against climate change. A recent Urban Land Institute study found that compact urban developments reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) by 20 to 40 percentUrban Land Institute. Growing Cooler: The Evidence of Urban Development and Climate Change. Available at because users are closer to amenities and can more easily rely on public transportation. Smart urban planning is therefore crucial to maximizing energy savings and overall reduction of greenhouse gases.
Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design Certification
the green movement has started to emphasize the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, a certification system that rewards the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED certification signifies incorporation of smart building design and technology to reduce energy use and minimize waste. However, even if a building is energy-efficient, the energy required to travel to and from a LEED-certified site may well exceed the energy saved through energy-efficient features. LEED-certified buildings and other developments best benefit climate change when they reuse infill sites and access existing resources.
LEED Certification can also benefit the occupant of the reused building. As sustainability becomes more prioritized within the building movement, having a LEED-certified building becomes more desirable. This certification may persuade public opinion and encourage more of the population to seek services by a company that prioritizes sustainability. In addition to this, some governmental bodies provide monetary benefits for prioritizing a sustainable site such as tax breaks and stipends.
Sustainability Sustainability involves meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
By encouraging recycling rather than the consumption of land, land recycling promotes smart growth and responsible, sustainable patterns of development. A 2001 study by George Washington University shows that for every acre of brownfield redeveloped, of undeveloped land is conserved. Public Policies and Private Decisions Affecting the Redevelopment of Brownfields: An Analysis of Critical Factors, Relative Weights and Areal Differentials. As most brownfields and other abandoned sites are typically situated in urban areas, they tap into existing nearby infrastructure, limiting the need to build new roads, gridlines, and amenities, thereby reducing further land consumption.Brownfield Redevelopment: Stakeholders Report That EPA's Program Helps to Redevelop Sites, but Additional Measures Could Complement Agency Efforts GAO-05-94; December 2, 2004 Each infill development prevents sprawl into open space, forests and agricultural land, preserving acres of undeveloped land.
Sustainable land remediation and planning