Smart Growth: Revitalizing Communities at Superfund Sites
Many Superfund sites are large enough to support several land uses, enabling communities to address multiple priorities. Smart growth and sustainable development approaches to mixed-use redevelopment provide benefits that extend beyond jobs, services and amenities. These collaborative efforts create walkable neighborhoods, convert renewable energy into power, provide access to public transportation, and strengthen quality of life for everyone.
- Partnership for Sustainable Communities: EPA has joined together with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to help communities nationwide improve access to affordable housing, increase transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment. The Partnership for Sustainable Communities works to coordinate federal housing, transportation, water and other infrastructure investments to make neighborhoods more prosperous, allow people to live closer to jobs, save households time and money, and reduce pollution.
- Smart Growth Program: This EPA program provides research, tools, partnerships, case studies, grants and technical assistance to help communities grow in ways that expand economic opportunity and protect public health and the environment. "Smart Growth" seeks to preserve greenfields and encourages infill development where pre-existing infrastructure supports reuse.
- Land Revitalization Program: Working with government agencies at the local, state and federal levels, EPA shares best practices and supports site assessments and reuse planning efforts at contaminated lands through this program to help facilitate successful results.
- Sustainability Programs: This link provides access to all EPA efforts in the area of sustainability practices and approaches, including labeling green products and promoting green chemistry and engineering, managing materials rather than creating waste, using green infrastructure to manage storm water runoff, and supporting the sustainable design of communities.
Some examples of sites with multiple reuses are listed below.
- American Street Tannery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Eastland Woolen Mill, Corinna, Maine
- Jacobsville Neighborhood Soil Contamination, Evansville, Indiana
- Materials Technology Laboratory (USARMY), Watertown, Massachusetts
- Midvale Slag, Midvale, Utah
- PMC Groundwater, Petoskey, Michigan
- Woolfolk Chemical Works, Inc., Fort Valley, Georgia