Brownfields Redevelopment Can Benefit from Using Risk Assessment Principles. S. C. Schock and E. G. Brady-Roberts, US Environmental Protection Agency, OH
Brownfields are defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as "abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination." The costs associated with the lack of Brownfields redevelopment include possible human health and ecological impacts, lost tax revenue and jobs, and increased urban sprawl. The community is concerned with the health and welfare of the people in the neighborhood and job opportunities related to the reuse of the land, as well as the esthetics of the project. Therefore, developers must assure that the community is included in the potential project from the earliest stages of planning, in order that their needs and interests can be factored into the planning. Developers can benefit from using the principles of the Risk Assessment (RA) Paradigm. The steps of the paradigm, toxicity assessment (hazard identification and dose response), exposure assessment, and risk characterization can be applied to a redevelopment project to improve the planning, implementation, communication and outcome. Using these principles to assess and communicate about the project with all of the stakeholders, the redevelopment process can be accomplished with greater confidence in its successful outcome. In addition, adapting the concepts of the RA paradigm can help the developer to: (a) characterize the project and its benefits for the community; (b) assure the investors or insurers that the risks associated with the project are known and manageable; and (c) communicate the risks to all stakeholders on a more credible basis.
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