The connected metro-regions of Minneapolis and St. Paul, in Minnesota, are at the forefront of brownfield remediation. The Twin Cities exhibit several exemplary projects that demonstrate the positive reception of toxic sites converted to public space. Urban planners, environmental lawyers, state agencies, and landscape architects each have major roles in this transformative process.
Brownfield remediation is the process of reusing abandoned industrial sites as productive spaces following the clean up of toxins, often through bioengineered solutions. Among the contaminants one might expect to cope with are asbestos, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons. These might be spread across a site, found in isolated soil deposits, or could be contained in aging underground tanks.
The Twin Cities are built upon industry from the early mills for timber and grain refining in the St. Anthony Falls area, to the recently closed Ford Automotive Plant near downtown St. Paul. Besides these, many other examples of industrial zones can be found adjacent to the Mississippi River.
As urban planning continues to value the greening of formerly contaminated sites, many incentives are available to clean toxic sites for productive reuse. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides technical and economic assistance for the redevelopment of brownfields. Locally, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency maintains an extensive website with valuable information ranging from the types of contaminates typically found, success stories about cleanups, and interactive maps of specific brownfield sites.
The successful Mill Ruins Park and Gold Medal Park in Minneapolis are built upon contaminated soils associated with the mills that formerly dominated the landscape just above the Mississippi River. Gold Medal Park, a 7.5-acre greenspace is built using capped-landfill soils to construct a large hill offering expansive views of the built and natural environment. In St. Paul, a 30-acre idled concrete plant was purchased by the Port Authority and transformed into a business park. This project removed an unattractive eyesore from downtown, eliminated groundwater and airborne pollutants, and created a business center with more than 400 employees.
What are some success stories of brownfield remediation where you live? How are these places re-used and what is the public’s perception of the cleanup process?
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