Amenity proximity analysis for sustainable brownfield redevelopment planning

Abstract

Idle brownfields in urban settings are potential resources that could be put to productive use, meeting the goals of urban intensification, helping to curb urban sprawl on the periphery and benefiting communities living around sites. Various decision support tools exist in order to evaluate redevelopment scenarios. Spatial decision support systems have recently been developed to aid in evaluating the implications of the physical attributes of redevelopment scenarios, with a limited focus on the proximity of essential amenities to the local community. The application of proximity analysis in this context supports stakeholders in determining which social amenities are furthest from the local community and the extent to which including such amenities on-site would benefit the local community. A geographic information system based proximity analysis approach is presented specifically for this purpose. The distribution of walking distances for local households is compared to scenarios in which specific social amenities are included on-site. The approach is demonstrated using an abandoned brownfield case study in the Flemish region of Belgium. The local community would benefit most from having a doctor and pharmacy on-site in terms reduced walking distance. The inclusion of other amenities on-site such as employment, schools, green space, meeting places and shops also shortens walking distances for the local community but to a limited extent in comparison to a doctor and a pharmacy. 'Walking distance' is an indicator that is easily understood by stakeholders and the approach lays the foundation for more detailed analyses that would include frequency of visits.

Mapping and assessing ecosystem services to support urban planning: A case study on brownfield regeneration in Trento, Italy

“…The presence of brownfields and abandoned areas is a key issue for today's cities, with strong economic and social implications (Nassauer and Raskin 2014), hence their regeneration is promoted amongst the strategies for sustainable urban development (European Commission 2016). Recent studies have analysed how, depending on their actual conditions, brownfields are or may be turnedthrough interventions that range from simply changing the management of the areas to demolishing, de-paving and regreening -into sources of ES for the urban population (Beames et al 2018, Collier 2014, Mathey et al 2015, McPhearson et al 2013). Our analysis focused specifically on the expected benefits in terms of improved cooling effect by vegetation and enhanced opportunities for nature-based recreation, thus addressing two of the most critical issues for citizens' well-being in Trento.…”

The agent-based modelling as a decision support tool for brownfield redevelopment

“…Decision support systems for brownfield redevelopment are classified into two wide categories: indicator based multi-criteria analysis (MCA) tools and stakeholder participation frameworks (Beames et al, 2018). MCA is tasked with evaluating and choosing among alternatives based on multiple criteria using systematic analysis that overcomes the limitations of unstructured individual or group decision making (Belton and Stewart, 2002;Munaretto et al 2014).…”

“…The improvement in brownfield sites planning has been recognized as an important issue in a considerable number of studies of sustainable urban development. There is a wide agreement that brownfield regeneration is a key element of urban development and as such has been the subject of research for many authors (Beames et al, 2018;Ferber et al, 2006;Perovic and Kurtovic Folic, 2012;Petríková and Finka, 2006;Rizzo et al, 2015;Schädler et al, 2011;Schädler et al, 2012;Schädler, et al, 2013;Wedding and Crawford-Brown, 2007).…”

Planning for Ecosystem Services in Cities

“…However, being based on self-reported perceptions and opinions, these studies do not measure the actual level of implementation of the ES concept into planning practices. The second approach reviews the content of documents, including strategic plans (Piwowarczyk et al 2013), environmental policies (Bauler and Pipart 2013;Maczka et al 2016), and urban plans Kabisch 2015) using content or keyword analysis.…”