States and metropolitan areas across the country face a seemingly insolvable planning challenge. The number of miles we drive per capita is rising annually, and traffic congestion in cities and surrounding suburbs is worsening. However, road capacity added to relieve congestion is rapidly consumed. These trends have created a broad search for transportation solutions, including a renewed effort to better coordinate land use and transportation. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
Important links exist between transportation and brownfields.
Transportation investments can work to support the redevelopment of such properties. This guide explains how to access funds from flexible sources, and suggests ways that federal transportation funding can be used to restore brownfields to productive uses. Appendices of the report detail other sources of funding for brownfield projects, tools for overcoming liability problems, as well as additional sources for relevant information on transportation and brownfields. Integrating transportation options with reusing brownfields is particularly smart land use. Second, transportation is critical to the redevelopment process because good accessibility is a virtual prerequisite for developers seeking opportunities for new projects or business looking for a new location.