Brownfields are often clustered together on the map so that area-wide redevelopment may be desirable. The starting point for this effort is a plan that looks far into the future. The purpose of the plan is to set long-range goals while providing flexibility for changing circumstances and meeting diverse needs. The landscape architect can describe how the sites fit into the larger context of the area or region, how the redeveloped area will work within a larger system of natural factors, and influence how the plan will look and function. The cumulative effects of brownfield remediation are making industrial areas more desirable for recreational use.
Industrial areas are often very interesting and highly suitable for bicycle trails.
As shorelines are rehabilitated, public access to the water becomes more desirable. The landscape architect can identify these and other potential recreational opportunities and incorporate planning for them into the overall goals of the redevelopment plan. As individual properties are redeveloped, the landscape architect plays a key role in ensuring that the siting of buildings and the master plan achieve the goals of the property owner, developer, user and the community. The participation of the landscape architect can overcome the unfortunate but historically wide-spread effect of low landscape standards for industrial areas. Finally, no member of the redevelopment team is better equipped than the landscape architect to ease a redeveloped property past the social stigma attached to brownfields.