New Environmental Solutions

EPA’s land revitalization initiatives are producing significant environmental benefits and helping to transform communities into more sustainable 

and livable places. The strategy of encouraging market-driven redevelopment of brownfields and other contaminated sites for economic 

reuse is proving to be a successful approach at many sites. However, 

challenging real estate markets and economic realities can leave 

some formerly contaminated properties unused, possibly for a long 

time. New approaches are needed to revitalize these sites and protect 

human health and the environment.

EPA’s Land Revitalization Team is working with communities, states, other 

federal agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and 

the private sector to develop and test new approaches that recognize 

valuable reuse alternatives for formerly contaminated properties. Building green infrastructure to help manage stormwater runoff and floods, 

promoting safe soil management to support urban agriculture, and siting renewable energy on contaminated sites can bring environmental, 

ecological, and social benefits to communities. Unlocking the potential 

value of these underused properties often requires creativity and close 

collaboration with many public and private partners. These projects 

can help stabilize communities and spur economic development.

Land Revitalization Fact Sheet

Urban Agriculture

L

ong-term shifts in manufacturing 

industries across the country left 

many inner-city properties vacant and potentially contaminated. 

This was intensified recently by a 

distressed real estate market that increased the inventory of vacant city 

properties. These trends contribute to 

the creation of “urban food deserts” 

where low-income communities have 

limited access to supermarkets and 

the fresh foods needed to maintain 

a healthy diet. In response, communities across the country are turning brownfields and vacant lots into 

safe community gardens and urban 

farms. 

The benefits that urban agriculture 

projects bring to many communities 

are tremendous. Urban agriculture 

reuses provide a local source of fresh 

healthy food, increase surrounding 

property values, reduce environmental hazards, create biologically 

diverse habitats, reduce stormwater 

runoff, create jobs, promote physical activity, increase community 

connections, and attract additional 

economic activity.

Urban agricultural projects range 

from small public and private community gardens to larger-scale urban 

farms and orchards. In addition to 

growing fresh produce, urban agricultural projects are producing herbs, 

spices, honey, and livestock. Urban 

agriculture also includes growing 

crops for animal feed, landscaping, 

flower gardens, oil, fragrance, dye, 

biofuel, and fiber.

Urban agriculture projects require 

healthy, uncontaminated soils. When 

growing food on brownfields or other 

potentially contaminated sites, in 

addition to traditional soil testing, it is 

critical to assess whether contamination problems are likely. This involves 

researching past activities and 

testing soils for likely contaminants. 

Addressing contamination through 

cleanup or the use of raised beds 

and other growing techniques will 

ensure that produce is safe for consumption.

EPA is working with urban agriculture 

stakeholders, including other federal 

agencies, state and local governments, community-based nonprofits, 

and university researchers to address 

the challenges to reusing contaminated sites for urban agriculture. 

EPA delivered several webinars that 

describe the policies and the state 

of knowledge on the reuse of contaminated sites for urban agriculture 

projects. Also, in October 2010, EPA 

held a Brownfields and Urban Agriculture Reuse Midwestern Summit in 

Chicago to explore approaches for 

safely developing urban agriculture 

projects on contaminated sites. 

EPA is working with communities 

throughout the U.S. on a range of 

projects to encourage the safe and 

sustainable reuse of brownfields and 

other formerly contaminated sites 

for urban agriculture. Projects range 

from small community gardens cultivated by neighborhood residents to 

self-sustaining urban farms, such as 

those proposed in Toledo, Ohio, and 

New Orleans, Louisiana.
United States Office of Solid Waste and EPA 560-F-11-009

Environmental Protection Emergency Response April 2011

Agency (5105T) www.epa.gov/brownfields/

Proposed Viet Village Urban Farm in New Orleans, Louisiana

More Information:

Visit EPA’s urban agriculture website at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/urbanag/

Visit EPA’s Land Revitalization program website at http://www.epa.gov/landrevitalization/

Example of an urban agricultural site.

Revitalization of the Fernwood Green District in Toledo, Ohio

Potential layout of the Fernwood 

Growing Center.

The City of Toledo and its partners 

are using urban agriculture as one of 

the major redevelopment strategies 

for a newly designated future green 

district containing multiple brownfield 

properties. The city plans to reuse a 

two-acre, former spark plug manufacturing site as the location of the 

Fernwood Growing Center. The site 

is within a Brownfields Impact Area 

along the Detroit-Smead Corridor, 

which contains 19 brownfields and 

nearly 200 vacant lots. This corridor 

runs through one of Toledo’s housing 

priority districts, where there is a high 

rate of poverty. Residents report that 

the closest source of fresh produce is 

over two miles away. 

With the help of EPA funding and 

technical assistance from Region 5, 

the green district pilot project will be 

completed in two phases. Phase one 

focused on the development of a business planning tool that can be used as 

a framework by all communities interested in urban agriculture projects. This 

tool will help assess the infrastructure, 

tasks, relationships, and costs required 

to create a sustainable urban agriculture project. Phase two will evaluate 

opportunities for urban agriculture 

and other sustainable development 

projects that will form the foundation 

of a “green district.” Reuse of the sites 

within the Detroit-Smead Corridor will 

spur an overall revitalization of the 

area, improve environmental quality, 

provide career opportunities for local 

residents, improve access to nutritious 

food, and provide the neighborhood 

with a new optimism.

EPA Region 6 is working with the 

Mary Queen of Vietnam Community 

Development Corporation (MQVN 

CDC) transform a 20-acre brownfield 

into an urban farm. The proposed 

Viet Village Urban Farm will include 

community gardens, commercial 

agriculture, a livestock area, and a 

produce market, as well as community facilities everyone can use. The 

project will use organic and sustainable farming practices to minimize 

water and energy use. 

EPA Region 6 is helping the MQVN 

CDC plan for the cleanup of site 

contamination and obtain a wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers for 18 acres of the site. 

The City of New Orleans conducted 

Phase I and Phase II environmental 

site assessments at the property. Site 

cleanup will be conducted under 

Louisiana’s Voluntary Cleanup Program. MQVN CDC is working with a 

local bank to acquire funding to cover 

wetland mitigation costs. Assessment 

and cleanup of site soils are essential 

to ensure that any produce grown 

there is safe to eat.

MQVN CDC developed a business 

plan to ensure the sustainability of the 

project, which includes selling produce 

to schools and a local restaurant. Their 

plan is to start small and expand after 

meeting wetlands permit requirements 

and addressing environmental contamination. When completed, the Viet 

Village Urban Farm will be a model for 

other communities interested in developing urban gardens and farms on 

brownfields or other contaminated sites. 

In the event that MQVN CDC is unable 

to address both the wetlands permit 

and cleanup of brownfield property 

with limited funds, alternative brownfields will be considered for a future 

urban farm in New Orleans East. EPA 

Region 6 will work with MQVN CDC 

to provide resources for assessment 

and cleanup (if necessary) through 

the City of New Orleans Brownfields 

Program and Louisiana’s Brownfields 

Revolving Loan Fund for alternative 

brownfields.