Part of the fascination and strength of the brownfields movement is that projects can be seen from so many perspectives: as real estate transactions, environmental remediation projects, Smart Growth, environmental health and justice, land recycling, economic and community development. Over the past decade, substantially reflecting the remarkable real state boom, the most effective positioning for brownfields was. Many real estate markets have cooled, the political climate has changed, and it may be time to look at brownfields from other perspectives.

As environmental concerns have heated up politically, brownfield redevelopments are accurately portrayed as a means to reduce carbon emissions by focusing growth in urban areas, an alternative to sprawl over greenfields that makes greater use of existing transportation and other urban infrastructure. The remediation process also has environmental benefits beyond site cleanup, such as reducing the potential for vapor intrusion. It is completely legitimate to place brownfields in the context of the green tsunami that has washed over the architectural, planning, and much of the real estate and political communities—and perhaps most importantly, much of the media. ...

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