Brownfields Redevelopment  Toolbox

Step 1 - Community Readiness  

Step 1 - Community Readiness (sub-directory)

Defining Brownfields

There are numerous definitions for “brownfields” used across the USA, European Union, and Canada, but generally all “brownfields” definition share these common key points:
  • Sites may be located in both urban and rural communities;
  • The type of sites are either industrial, commercial or institutional;
  • Sites are often strategically located in areas where municipal services and infrastructure (roads, water and sewer service, hydro, emergency response, etc.) are in place;
  • Sites may be abandoned or underused due to real or perceived contamination.
The Government of Ontario and in particular the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAH) does not define brownfields in the planning legislation. The MAH does provide a general definition for “brownfields” on their website and in their Brownfields Showcase publications.
"Brownfields are derelict, dysfunctional or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. Despite the complexity of developing these properties, they are often in desirable and strategic locations – in the heart of urban communities, on scenic waterfronts, in or near downtowns. 

They have the advantage of having infrastructure in place and a variety of potential uses which can contribute to urban intensification, community revitalization, economic development and jobs, and/or new housing to take the pressure off greenfields. As a result, in Ontario, there has been growing interest among municipalities, owners, developers and environmentalists to find ways to clean up these sites and put them to new use."
 (Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing, 2004) 
(http://www.mah.gov.on.ca) 
The National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) published the report, “Cleaning up the Past, Building the Future – A National Brownfields Redevelopment Strategy for Canada” in 2003, which defined “brownfields” as: 
A brownfield is an abandoned, vacant, derelict or underutilized commercial or industrial property where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived contamination and where there is an active potential for redevelopment. 

Brownfields stand as a legacy of a century of industrialization in Canada. They can be found in cities and towns across the country: abandoned, vacant, derelict or underutilized commercial and industrial properties where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived contamination. But brownfields differ from other contaminated sites in one important way - they hold excellent potential for being cleaned up and redeveloped for productive uses. 
(NRTEE, 2003, http://www.nrtee-trnee.ca/) 
Ontario municipalities must define “brownfields” based on their specific needs and incorporate this definition into their Official Plan or Community Improvement Plan (CIP).