Brownfields Redevelopment.pdf

Communities use brownfields funding to assess and clean contaminated sites for various uses, including community gardens and farmers markets. Brownfields are vacant or abandoned properties due to concerns about real or perceived contamination. Using EPA funds, communities can assess and clean these sites, creating safe spaces for growing food and buying locally-grown produce. There are over 18,000 community gardens in the US and Canada, and the number of farmers markets has increased by nearly 3,000 since 1994. Contaminants of concern on brownfields include petroleum, lead, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Successful examples of brownfields redevelopment for local agriculture include the Allen Street Community Garden in Somerville, Massachusetts, and the Shelton Farmers Market in Connecticut. Brownfields redevelopment can address contamination, create community assets, and provide economic opportunities, while also increasing property values and neighborhood vitality. Communities can follow steps such as site preparation, assessment, and cleanup to establish or expand urban gardens, farms, or markets on brownfields.