From Liability to Opportunity: The History and Evolution of Brownfields Redevelopment

EnviroLearn will be an exhibitor and sponsor at the 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference in Chicago, August 5-7, and as I’ve been preparing, I’ve been thinking about the history of brownfields redevelopment and how I’ve been involved in it.  For decades, brownfields were seen as liabilities. Today, they represent some of the most promising opportunities for economic revitalization and environmental restoration.  This transformation didn't happen overnight. For environmental consultants and economic development professionals, understanding the history of brownfields redevelopment is key to navigating current policies and capitalizing on future trends.

The Origins: A Growing Urban Problem

The concept of "brownfields" began to emerge in the 1970s and 1980s, as post-industrial cities across North America and Europe saw increasing numbers of abandoned factories, machine shops, gas stations, rail yards, and dry cleaners. Many of these sites were contaminated with petroleum products, solvents, heavy metals, or other hazardous substances—making redevelopment both risky and expensive.

During this time, the regulatory climate was focused on large-scale hazardous sites under Superfund (CERCLA) and RCRA. Unfortunately, the stigma and liability associated with these high-profile cleanups created a chilling effect on investment in less severely contaminated but far more common sites—what we now call brownfields.

1990s: A Policy Turning Point

The 1990s marked a pivotal shift. Policymakers began to recognize that one-size-fits-all regulations were stifling urban infill and economic recovery. Cities like Cleveland (my hometown) and Chicago piloted local brownfields programs, often with the help of philanthropic foundations.

In 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially launched its Brownfields Program, offering seed funding for assessments and technical assistance. States followed suit, implementing voluntary cleanup programs that offered liability relief and streamlined processes for less-contaminated sites.  The culmination came with the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, which formally codified the federal Brownfields Program. It clarified liability protections for bona fide prospective purchasers, contiguous property owners, and innocent landowners—reducing risk and unlocking access to redevelopment capital.

Brownfields as Economic Catalysts

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, brownfields became integral to economic development strategies. Redevelopments like Pittsburgh’s SouthSide Works (on the site of a former steel mill) or Denver’s Union Station District (an old rail yard) showed how these sites could become engines of tax revenue, job creation, and urban vibrancy.

Environmental consultants played a crucial role—conducting Phase I and II ESAs, preparing cleanup plans, managing remediation, and navigating regulatory pathways. I remember the first large brownfield redevelopment that I was heavily involved with – Steelyard Commons, a 130-acre shopping center redeveloped from a former LTV Steel finishing mill in Cleveland’s industrial flats area.  I remember being there sampling groundwater monitoring wells while heavy equipment demolished the old buildings.  Now, I go by there when I run along the historic Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail adjacent to the thriving shopping center.

While us consultants were assessing and planning remediation of brownfield sites, economic development professionals aligned brownfield projects with community needs—housing, transit, green space, and job hubs. The co-benefits extended beyond the economy. Redeveloped brownfields reduce urban sprawl, improve stormwater management, and eliminate sources of environmental justice disparities, particularly in historically underserved neighborhoods.

The Modern Era: Climate, Equity, and Resilience

Today’s brownfield redevelopment efforts are shaped by new priorities such as climate resilience, environmental justice, innovative funding, and private capital engagement.  Adaptive reuse and site design are being integrated with climate goals—think solar-ready rooftops or green infrastructure on remediated sites. While environmental justice efforts on the federal level have been curtailed, many state and local programs that ensure brownfield funding and redevelopment benefits communities disproportionately burdened by pollution remain.  The variety and amounts of funding for brownfield cleanups and planning has increased and Opportunity Zones and tax increment financing (TIF) is pulling more private-sector stakeholders into the brownfield space.

What It Means for Professionals

Environmental Consultants: Our role is more crucial than ever—not just in risk assessment and remediation, but in shaping redevelopment strategies that balance cleanup goals with economic and social outcomes.

Economic Developers: Brownfields offer unique, place-based assets for housing, innovation districts, manufacturing, and more. Understanding the regulatory and funding landscape can unlock millions in federal and state resources.

Together, consultants and economic developers are now co-creators in the transformation of neglected land into thriving, sustainable communities.

Conclusion

The history of brownfields redevelopment is a story of turning risk into resilience and blight into opportunity. From the initial recognition of liability issues to today’s integrated, equity-driven redevelopment strategies, brownfields have evolved from environmental footnotes to centerpieces of 21st-century urban revitalization.

Are you a newer environmental consultant ready to start your journey working on brownfield projects?  Taking EnviroLearn’s Performing a Phase I ESA course will help you build a foundation of knowledge!  Or maybe you’re an economic development professional looking to redevelop brownfields in your community.  EnviroLearn’s Environmental Aspects of Property Development course will help you get started!  Going to be at the 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference?  If so, stop by the EnviroLearn booth (#614) and visit us!