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Revitalization Plan StrategyFeedback
Revitalization projects require a diverse team comprised of a variety of professionals and stakeholders to address the many different complex issues. Many abandoned and environmentally impacted properties are approached by incomplete teams without a detailed plan for the revitalization of the property, such as a community group that doesn’t include necessary support from governmental, technical, and legal representatives.
Successful revitalization efforts will include a comprehensive environmental, public policy, and business team encompassing the required skills and planning needed for revitalization projects. This multifaceted approach to revitalization helps complex projects succeed by minimizing the uncertainties that cause these impacted sites to remain idle. These projects typically represent a compilation of issues that would in and of themselves be considered significant efforts. Some examples include:
- Community involvement
- Environmental investigations and remediation activities
- Engineering activities (structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, geotechnical)
- Complex land-use planning and design activities
- Large scale infrastructure and construction activities
- Compliance with building codes and inspection requirements
- Regulatory compliance audits
- Real estate transaction activities
- Project funding/financial concerns
- Taking advantage of complicated tax incentives and grant-based funding
- Political activism and community opposition
The SMARTe web site presents some of the broad categories of issues that should, at a minimum, be addressed to develop a successful revitalization plan. The SMARTe Schematic (see icon above) provides an overview of the entire revitalization process.
University of Louisville Center for Environmental Policy and Management has created a practice guide for Public Strategies for Cost-Effective Community Brownfield Redevelopment which provides help to identify workable approaches to potential land contamination issues, point to the best practices of successful brownfield redevelopers, and identify sources of information available for local governments and other organizations interested in launching or expanding their own brownfields efforts.