Greenfield Development vs. Brownfield Development
There are many factors to consider while doing planning for an upcoming development. These factors have led to the development of policies around to try to maintain minimum environmental effect depending on the type of development that is to be put in place. In addition to the environmental and ecological factors, the type of land and the developments present determine the mechanisms and techniques that will be put in place to ensure that the project is successful while minimizing the cost. If it is a Greenfield development, projecting the overall impacts on the undeveloped land is essential. Furthermore, while considering a Brownfield development, the state of the location is to be considered. The land may be contaminated or may have terrain and infrastructure that can be quite hard to modify in order to fully serve the new development. In this paper, the ecological and environmental benefits and challenges are dealt in depth. In addition to these, there has been a marked change in the development of new structures such as office blocks. Currently, the office spaces are located in sub urban areas in the cities showing a gradual change from the central business districts. Furthermore, older industrial zones are being redeveloped to provide more office space and parks.
Greenfield developments
These mostly take place in the pristine suburbs of modern cities. Due to the congestion in the central business districts, many are forced to come up with ingenious methods to maintain productivity that greatly influences the costs of running their businesses. As the inner cities become more and more expensive, most organization sand firms have been forced to relocate and build their own office blocks to cater for the high number of their workers. The developments in the suburbs are relatively cheaper and well serviced when compared to the inner city thereby acting as a magnet to even more firms. This wave of relocation has not only been beneficial but has also come with challenges that need to be dealt with. The rapidly growing population has also contributed immensely to the development of Greenfield areas in modern cities.
The most beneficial factor is the reduction of cost in development. Greenfields only need a little ground preparation while the majority of the costs go to the actual development of the structure. Furthermore, the Greenfields are rarely contaminated. They can therefore, offer a chance for a wide range of developments to take place. Concerning office space, Greenfield offices have better amenities and services as compared to the crowded inner city buildings.
Secondly, Greenfield developments aid in the expansion and provision of infrastructure to the suburban areas that are underdeveloped. Once such infrastructure is in place, there is a marked increase in the value of land and depending on method of ownership of land, the private owners, or the government can greatly benefit from this increase in value.
Thirdly, Greenfields help in opening up more space and reduction in congestion in city centers. This can be observed by the reduction in traffic jams in the inner cities because most of the traffic actually diverts to the developing suburbs. It improves the air quality around the cities leading to fewer respiratory diseases. The areas left in the inner cities can be redeveloped to cater for upcoming economic needs and in some cases the value of the property rises resulting in more benefits to the owners. These Greenfields also offer an opportunity to input futuristic developments that anticipate growth depending on the current state of the location.
However, these developments have negative effects on the environment. They take place on lands that had been set aside for recreational use and conservation of flora and fauna. In some cases, the developments take place near parks and forests. Due to these characteristics, there is a lot of interference in the natural environment by the introduction of new developments to places where there were none. Although this is quite a challenge, research has shown that Greenfield developments have greater protection of the environment that the Brownfield developments. This therefore lessens the pressure on the investors since it is easier to adjust to the expectations of the environmentalists than upgrading the systems to fit the requirements.
In addition, Greenfield developments bring congestion and pollution to the pristine suburbs. The pollution ranges from hooting, passing cars, dumping of wastes and other related activities. When such developments are not closely monitored, the locality can experience the same challenges that had earlier pushed the businesses and offices to move. It is therefore essential that such developments take place in tandem with the set laws and guidelines regarding environmental protection. Further care should be taken in sourcing of the materials so that the balance between economic growth and conservation of nature is maintained.
Brownfield developments
With the increase in city population, land in and around the cities has become scarce. However, a lot of land still lies underutilized. Some zones in modern cities have been abandoned when their economic usefulness has fallen behind in their productivity expectations. A good example is the Detroit city. It has been the most important industrial city in the United States for a very long time until its collapse in the recent times. The collapse has drained it of important resources that were used to maintain the running leaving it struggling to fit in the modern world. Such cities need programmes that will promote urban renewal because of the importance and their strategic locations. Nevertheless, some of these parcels can be put into viable use bys simply changing their zoning arrangements. Brownfield developments can therefore be allowed to take place in such zones. Thus, it provides an avenue for revamping of dilapidated sections of cities into modern architectural marvels and in essence maintains the overall beauty of a locality.
Furthermore, it is far much harder to obtain Greenfield development licenses. This is because of the restrictions to development of such areas depending on the zoning criteria. Furthermore, there may be challenges in dealing with some local communities who can oppose such developments. This is due to the reason that more suburban residents are well educated as compared to those near the city center and can understand environmental dangers better. It is therefore essential that all factors be considered while setting up such a project.
The use of Brownfield sites has become more common due to the overall benefits to both the authorities and local population. Brownfield developments help in conserving the environment more than the Greenfield developments mentioned above. The acquisition of land in the suburban and rural sectors of a state is minimized because most of the land used is from abandoned industrial sites and old residential blocks. This therefore helps to concentrate populations closer to cities where there is easier access to amenities and social services.
Secondly, the developments help in revamping the economies of areas that are facing recession due to migration. This can be done by putting up facilities that will enhance greater economic growth in such areas while at the same time expanding the available ones in expectation of the regrowth in population. Because people live nearer the city center, it becomes easier for one to do business since various sectors of the economy are interlinked as opposed to the green developments that are mostly located far from the city centre.
Third, it reduces the congestion and traffic jams on roads. This is because people live nearer the city center and their work places thereby reducing the need for commuting over long distances. Furthermore, the reductions in travel distances also reduce emission of toxic fumes to the atmosphere and in essence combat climate change.
Finally, it has been found to be cheaper to do redevelopment in some cases. The infrastructure can be modified only a little to fit into the new system. The savings can be greater especially if it is a residential development.
However, such zones also come with their disadvantages. First, some Brownfield sites are previously heavy industrial sites. Such sites are normally, if not entirely, contaminated with various industrial materials and waste products. This can be a health hazard for families when a residential block is put up in such zones. Furthermore, the excavations done during construction can also be hazardous. They may leak other components into the air and can cause diseases to the surrounding population. Because of the contamination, such land is relatively cheap and can be quite cumbersome to attract investments from high-end clients. Any development on such a site should be done only when all the contamination has been reduced to acceptable levels.
Furthermore, the Brownfield zones may need complete overhaul of the infrastructure to sustain the new developments’ needs. The overhaul is actually more expensive because it needs relocation and expansion of the service lines such as water pipes and electricity cables.
Way Forward
Both the Greenfield and Brownfield developments have been observed to greatly affect the ecological-economic outcomes of the localities. Since both have been found to be sustainable depending on the prevailing factors, Brownfield developments are more ecologically friendly than the former. This is because they curtail the insatiable need for more land to create developments and infrastructure.
Currently, there is more emphasis on Greenfield developments compared to the Brownfield ones. Laws should be created to ensure that any useable land in the cities is reclaimed first before any other is excised from the suburban and rural zones. This will ensure that there is a high sustainability model to further encourage economic growth. Greenfields should be adequately protected to prevent loss of important flora and fauna.
Brownfield developments can also be used to create models that reduce the need for car ownership by improving transport systems in the cities. However, such should take into consideration the local population preferences and economic conditions. This ensures full utilization of the amenities created through the Brownfield developments.
Although the preference is put on Brownfield developments, sensitive government installations are better placed in Greenfield developments. This ensures that there is little interference from and to the public. Such installations may include nuclear power plants, defense research facilities and any other sensitive operation. It is therefore essential to balance between the two since both provide great opportunities when the developments are done correctly and in accordance to the environmental laws and regulations.
Bibliography
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Koll-Schretzenmayr, Martina. 'From Greenfield Development To Brownfield Redevelopment'. disP - The Planning Review 35.139 (1999): 43-48. Web.
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Sousa, Christopher A De. 'Measuring The Public Costs And Benefits Of Brownfield Versus Greenfield Development In The Greater Toronto Area'. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 29.2 (2002): 251-280.
Swearengen, Jack C. 'Brownfields and Greenfields'. Environmental Ethics 21.3 (1999): 277-292. Web.
