WhatBrownfield Development

is a brownfield development?
'Brownfield' land is an area of land or premises

that has been previously used, but has

subsequently become vacant, derelict or
contaminated.
Brownfield sites typically require preparatory

regenerative work before any new development

goes ahead, and can also be partly occupied.
 In planning terms, local authorities use brownfield
development to help regenerate decaying inner urban
areas.
This approach is deemed preferable to developing on
green space.
Myth: Communities wont be able to protect green spaces or
countryside.
Fact: Not true. Green Belt, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
and other designated land will retain the protections they enjoy
today."
 Pros and Cons to Developing a Brownfield
Cleaning up and reinvesting in brownfields combines
environmental benefits with economic development
and social improvement.
Planners, developers and local stakeholders come
together to improve their communities by turning
these blighted properties into sustainable reuses.
Brownfields are located in urban, suburban or rural
areas; they help clean up cities, grow suburbs and
alleviate pressure to develop green spaces.
 Developing untouched, pristine land usually requires
building new infrastructure, which can be expensive.
But brownfield developers often save money
because of existing infrastructure like water and
sewer lines, electricity, roads and accessibility to
public transportation.
Besides environmental benefits, redeveloping these
derelict locations can have social and economic
perks.
 Dilapidated industrial sites can transform into thriving office
buildings, apartments, luxury mixed-use facilities, shopping
centers, public parks and more
However, brownfields can be complicated and costly to
resuscitate after years of inactivity and neglect.
A brownfield is real property, which means it can include much
more than just land, such as buildings, crops or mineral rights.
Redeveloping, expanding or reusing a brownfield includes the
land and everything attached to it. Consequently,
environmental remediation is often costly, and financing can be
difficult to acquire
ELEMENTS OF
LANDSCAPE
Landform as Line
Landform as Enclosure
Can contribute to degree of enclosure and
spatial characteristics
Degree of enclosure is particularly sensitive
to landform that rises above eye level
Flat level land gives feeling of
expansiveness
To compose space the designer must either
reshape land or supplement the landform
with plants or other elements
Grain and enclosure
Ridgelines
Ridge lines are visually open zones
They offer long panoramic views and
Are themselves visible from long distances
Valleys afford reduced views but have a feeling of
centrality as views from surrounding slopes are focused
into it.
Ridgelines however dont give views into valley,
compared to slightly lower zones
Have been used for placing of military troops apart form
siting of buildings, allowing buildings to blend with the
landform
There are sometimes restrictions on siting buildings on
ridgelines, to minimise visual impact
Ridgelines
Landform and Drainage

Ridges divide areas into drainage areas called

watersheds
Airflow and Landform
Water
Essential to human well-being and to life
Unique power to stimulate the mind and
capture attention
The designers most versatile tool
Unique qualities of movement
Transparency
Therefore it is a resource for the
development as well as an integral part
of the design
Managing water resources
Due to property losses in floods, man
seeks to minimise losses by building
dams and reservoirs.
A strong land and water ethic
Development would be located away
from the prime agricultural lands of the
flood plain and would allow periodic
flooding to occur to replenish the land
through natures regenerative processes
 Retention structures collect storm water runoff
and store it until it can infiltrate and enter soil-
water and ground water reservoirs.
Other problems commonly associated with
development are increased erosion and
sedimentation, which may be on-site or off-site.
Sedimentation structures collect sediment and
contaminant rich runoff and filter it, usually
through sand, to capture sediment and its
contaminants.
Groundwater
Ideally, the groundwater levels must be
maintained by :
Ensuring that infiltration (by retention)
equals water discharged from the aquifer
for all uses
Plus the amount prevented from entering
the aquifer by the development
The quality of water infiltrating should be
no less than the that entering the ground
before development.
Climatic comfort
Evaporative cooling
can improve the
comfort levels by
modifying the micro
climate.
Locating
development
downwind from
water bodies can
modify
temperatures.
A premium in landscape
Its value in enriching the human experience and
quality of life is reflected economically.
Land along waters edge generates competition
among land uses.
Valued for parks, housing, recreation, resorts etc.
Development along water must resolve this and
reconcile desired uses with system needs.
One way of doing this is to give high priority to
water-dependent uses, built and operated in an
environmentally responsible manner.
Water as Design
its visual characteristics are dependent on
external characteristicsmotion, sound
Is dependent on its external context and will
change its characteristics with this context
Line: Character of line formed by the water-land
interface has a major impact on images.
Soft line: unbridled nature
Controlled curved: nature in control, or symbolic
nature
Rectilinear: refers to architecture
Angular: Energy
Water surface as line
Water surface as line

o This shaping accentuates vertical direction and implies connection between earth and
sky
Can be a combination of different characters, pulling different elements together
Or be consistent, and convey a more unified sense
Form of water features
Can be linear,
emphasising flow
or
Compact: a sense
of arrival or
centrality
Colour
Good quality water is quite clear and takes colour
imparted by reflections and containers
White coloured containers and mirrored ones
express transparency and create an illusion of
shallowness
Light blue imparts clarity, cleanliness and purity of
water
Dark blue and black maximise reflections and give
shadowy depth
Water within dark containers seem especially wet
 Cascades and waterfalls: As volume
increases, edge characteristics effects
diminish
The way in which the fall is broken: on a
hard surface or into a pool of water
Water jets: to draw attention to specific
parts:
Intersection of sightlines
As sculpture
Moving water
Channels:
smooth or rough
movement
Constriction

increases
turbulence,
velocity and
sound
Texture
Determined by depth and
flow characteristics and by
hsape and texture of
container
Constrictions and
protrusions cause
turbulence and increase
surface texture
In thin layers of water, even
minor differences in
alignment of containers
causes surface textures.
Thin sheet of water over a
vertical surface causes
textures
Stair shaped can cause
droplets which reflect light
As a symbol
Moving water
implies instability,
movement towards
equilibrium and
unresolved gravity
Still water conveys
peacefulness and
serenity
Helps in conveying
meanings of nature
difficult otherwise
in an urban context
Symbolism
Large volumes of water and velocities
imply mans dominant role
Smaller volumes convey appreciation for
the scarcity and value of water (as in
Islamic tradition)
Design Process
To optimise the water in the landscape,
design intent can be decided
Function, mood, aesthetics
Use of water to promote the character
Also the environmental context and
container to achieve intended effects
Vegetation ecological
benefits
First step in the food chain, converting suns
energy into forms usable by advanced life
forms
Remove carbon dioxide from the air, and as a
byproduct of photosynthesis, produce oxygen
Their roots act on rocks to break down and
ultimately form soil
Dead leaves etc contribute to the fertility of soil
Roots help in retaining moisture and controlling
soil erosion
 Basic life form is determined by available water
The particular species depends on temperature
Actual plant materials depend on soil
Habitat
The species will thrive when the environment fulfills
the biological needs: sunlight, water, nutrients etc.
Any element which becomes insufficient limits the
growth and survival
As environments change, the plant community also
changes
The plant community also changes its environment
Plants and habitat change together
interdependently, in a state of dynamic equilibrium
 The degree of plants and environment changes
over time in a process called succession
Succession refers to natural tendency of a system
to change over time in order to have a more
integrated relation with the habitat
Ecosystems evolve from a relatively undiversified
inefficient biological community to a highly
complex one.
Early successional plants can tolerate a wide range
of environmental conditions and spread easily
They are instrumental in upgrading soil and
changing microclimate
Plant communities
As modifiers of
microclimate
They evapotranspire
water and cool the
air, cause small
amounts of airflow
Foliage mass can
divert airflow into or
away from use areas
Provide shading
Line character

Line character whether naturalistic or organic

contributes to the feeling of the place
Straight line speak of the presence of people
Used along roads, emphasise their linear character and
unify architectural elements
Visually link structures
Form

Depending on shape, they may: accentuate vertical or act as focal points; round
forms constitute bulk in design composition, they are non-directionala nd serve as
context for other directional elements or provide unity in planting compositions
Speading forms reinforce horizontal and help in extending architectural forms intot
he site
Pyramidal forms are more formal and lend rigidity and permanence
Weeping forms have interseting silhouettes and can be inetersting near buildings
Picturesque or irregular forms serev as interesting specimens
Plant groupings

Mature plant groups perceived as masses

Large trees and
microclimate

Lush vegetation can shade use areas and provide cooling

through evapotranspiration of water from plant surfaces.
Provide mass
Give architectural character
Small trees
Upto 15-20
Imply and enclose space
Effective in small
courtyards as they
provide and colour
without overpowering
the space
Used as accent or focal
points in such small
spaces
Can be used to provide
shade
Shrubs
Tall shrubs can grow upto 15, foliage
grows close to ground
Strong sense of enclosure and thus high
degree of privacy
Effective as screens
Can be effective as sculpture in a large
space
Good backdrop
Shrubs: screening, backdrop,
enclosure
Low shrubs linking plant
masses
Ground Cover
Also unify areas
Imply spatial edge
and lead eye to focal
points, building
entries etc.
Provide textural
detail
 Variety depending on the
position
Physiological comfort
Shrubs to screen
early morning/late
afternoon sun
Cool the environment
compared to paved
areas which radiate
heat
Mixed Planting
Only deciduous trees
may look dead in
winter
Evergreen looks
sober and lacks
seasonal variety
Mix of plants that
grow fast and slow
Faster growing ones
are short lived
Seating
Seating
Paving
Paving in Plazas
Compound Walls &
Retaining Walls
 Key Concepts in Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
 Todays needs should not compromise the ability of
future generations to meet their needs
A direct link exists between the economy and
environment
The needs of the poor in all nations must be met
In order for our environment to be protected, the
economic conditions of the worlds poor must be
improved
In all our actions, we must consider the impact
upon future generations.
 National Goals Toward Sustainable Development

GOAL 1: HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT GOAL 6: SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Ensure that every person enjoys the benefits of clean air, Encourage people to work together to create healthy
clean water, and a healthy environment home, at work, communities where natural and historic resources are
and at play. preserved, jobs are available, sprawl is contained,
GOAL 2: ECONOMIC PROSPERITY neighborhoods are secure, education is lifelong,
Sustain a healthy U.S. economy that grows sufficiently to transportation and health care are accessible, and all
create meaningful jobs, reduce poverty, and provide the citizens have opportunities to improve the quality of their
opportunity for a high quality of life for all in an increasingly lives.
competitive world. GOAL 7: CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
GOAL 3: EQUITY Create full opportunity for citizens, businesses, and
Ensure that all Americans are afforded justice and have communities to participate in and influence the natural
the opportunity to achieve economic, environmental, and resource, environmental and economic decisions that
social well-being. affect them.
GOAL 4: CONSERVATION OF NATURE GOAL 8: POPULATION
Use, conserve, protect, and restore natural resources - Move toward stabilization of U.S. population.
land, air, water, and biodiversity - in ways that help ensure GOAL 9: INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
long-term social, economic, and environmental benefits for Take a leadership role in the development and
ourselves and future generations. implementation of global sustainable development
GOAL 5: STEWARDSHIP policies, standards of conduct, and trade and foreign
Create a widely held ethic of stewardship that strongly policies that further the achievement of sustainability.
encourages individuals, institutions, and corporations to GOAL 10: EDUCATION
take full responsibility for the economic, environmental, Ensure that all Americans have equal access to
and social consequences of their actions. education and lifelong learning opportunities that will
prepare them for meaningful work, a high quality of life,
and an understanding of the concepts involved in
sustainable development.
 Comparisons of the Literature Categories
Orientation
Designers Architects, planners,
consultants, and related
professionals
Practitioners Politicians, local
government professionals,
citizens and community
organizations
Visionaries Agriculturists, economists,
architects, planning
theorists, and appropriate
technologists
Activists Writers and community
activists who consider
themselves bioregionalists,
social ecologists, and
various other kinds of
environmentalists
Focus Means
New developments Reducing sprawl, designs
to encourage the revival of
public life (e.g. townscapes,
streetscapes, malls and
squares)
Existing settlements, Local initiatives to create
municipalities local sustainable
development action
strategies
Communities of association Reducing resource waste;
and of interest, as well as energy efficiency, stressing
of place passive solar heating and
cooling; encouraging local
food production and
reliance on local resources;
fostering creation of on-site
jobs and neighborhood
stores to revitalize
communities and eliminate
wasteful commuting
Human scale, sustainable Decentralized, grassroots,
settlements based on cooperative development
ecological balance,
community self-reliance,
and participatory
democracy