When is soil just “dirt”, when is it a waste, and when is it a resource? The answer may be in the eye of the beholder. Given the length of time it takes to create 1 cm3 of topsoil (estimated at 200-400 years), the current approach to managing excess soil at redevelopment sites in the United State (U.S.) merits further analysis.

The “Best of Brewedway” mobile workshop, co-hosted by CCLR at the New Partners for Smart Growth conference, highlighted the roles that cities and developers play in promoting smart infill development on brownfield sites.

The “Best of Brewedway” mobile workshop, co-hosted by CCLR at the New Parterns for Smart Growth Conference, highlighted the roles that cities and developers play in promoting smart infill development on brownfield sites.

Emeryville, California is an ongoing brownfields laboratory. During the recent New Partners for Smart Growth conference, as CCLR’s Director of Programs and former brownfields manager for the city, I joined other Emeryville staff to visit some of the city’s redeveloped sites.  Blessed with an ideal location and forward-thinking leadership, Emeryville continues to revitalize from what was once called the “dirtiest/rottenest little town on the Pacific Coast/west of the Mississippi” and “the armpit of the Bay Area.” Partnerships helped bridge that infamous past with the model for brownfields redevelopment that many seek to emulate. The city maintains a homey, working class feel as it welcomes demographically diverse new residents, and as businesses lead in innovative industries.

“Reuse, Refuel, and Revitalize – Sustainable Infill Redevelopment in Emeryville”, California, was a mobile workshop as part of the New Partners for Smart Growth conference.

By Ignacio Dayrit, Director of Programs

February 8th, 2018

On November 10th my friend Aidan Bass and I completed a bike tour from Boston to San Francisco. We crossed 16 states in 80 days and biked a total of 4,800 miles. We biked through almost 10 different cities where we experienced firsthand the best and worst of urban planning. From my current perch at the Center for Creative Land Recycling, this experience compelled me to look at the benefits of prioritizing cycling infrastructure and how city planning -- of which land reuse is a critical component -- can improve bikeability, especially for commuters.

By Ignacio Dayrit, Director of Programs

Two recent events highlight the importance of youth involvement in rural brownfields redevelopment.

Click the linked names for each site to visit their Brownfield Listings!

Spurs clicked slowly and intentionally down the halls of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA last week.  Carrying ropes and with hats pulled low over their eyes, the wranglers came from all corners of the country to bust some bad brownfields bulls at the 2017 National Brownfields Conference.  

Sustainability is difficult to achieve precisely because so many variables go into it, and even if it were possible to account for all the relevant variables, how would we know when we’ve arrived?  Land use is definitely one primary variable that impacts sustainability, and given that Earth is now an urban planet with a rapidly changing climate, international exchange focused on sustainable urbanism has never been more critical.  More brains, after all, are better than one.  That’s why the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) and the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. (GMF) took this message to the 2017 National Brownfields Conference last week in Pittsburgh, one of the premier brownfields training events in the United States.
 

By 12:00pm on November 27th around forty people had congregated at the Sobrato Centers for Nonprofits in San Mateo, California. A pleasant buzz of conversation filled the room as the diverse group of participants networked with old and new colleagues. The workshop came to order with welcome remarks from Don Horsley of San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Fiona Hsu of Silicon Valley Bank, Sarah Sieloff of Center of Center for Creative Land Recycling and Ken Cole of San Mateo County Housing. It then transitioned to a panel consisting of seven members representing various organizations that encapsulate the infill development process from start to finish.