Land Use Lesson 8 Extension : Brownfields and Greenfields

1. Introduce the concepts of brownfield and greenfield.

Use the Background Information to introduce the concepts of brownfields (currently unused lands that were formerly used for industrial or commercial purposes) and greenfields (open lands on which little or no development has occurred). Discuss with the class what each might look like. Then announce that you happen to have some photographs of both. Present the photographs in order, using either hard copies or those on the MEECS Land Use CD. As the photographs are shown, be certain to address the captions and, in a discussion, answer the questions. Ask the class to review why each of the six photographs is either a brownfield or a greenfield.

Photograph 1: Farm fields and new houses. How is this land use changing? Is it a greenfield or a brownfield? [It is a greenfield with housing being built on agricultural land.]

Photograph 2: How is this land being used? Is it a greenfield or a brownfield? Can you be certain? [It is a brownfield that has been redeveloped. Since the redevelopment, the brownfield is used by small industrial companies. Because of contamination in the soil, the site may not be suitable for developments such as housing, playgrounds, golf courses, etc. Brownfields that are redeveloped often have quite normal land uses, although restriction on the kinds of activities (such as drinking water wells, playgrounds, schools, and even residential units) may be enforced and prevent any kind of future use similar to a greenfield.]

Photograph 3: The gate is locked. Is it a greenfield or brownfield? [It is a brownfield.]

Photograph 4: What land use issue is shown by Photographs 3 and 4? What is the problem? [The issue is cleaning up the brownfield site. The role of government in this case is to clean up the brownfield site. Be certain to point out that the clean-up costs money.] Photograph 4 shows a sign stating “your state clean-up dollars at work.” Discuss with students who should pay—the taxpayers or the company that polluted the site. Explain to students that some companies are no longer in business and, therefore, there is no one who can pay except the government. The government taking responsibility for cleaning up a site is justified by the core democratic value of the common good. On the other hand, it is a burden to taxpayers. This is an important economic issue.

Photograph 5: How could this land be used? [Park, picnic area, fishing, hiking, recreation, etc. Note that this land is classified as a brownfield, which students will learn when they see Photograph 7.]

Photograph 6: Compare this photograph with Photograph 5. What are the good things about both sites? What are the bad things about both sites? [Both sites look like good sites to be left as open space; they could also be good for housing. Photograph 6, a greenfield, shows crop growth. Photograph 5 is good for bird and animal habitat. Virtually nothing is bad in Photograph 5. In Photograph 6 housing is being developed on the farmland. The possibility of another location for housing so that farmland is saved may be discussed. In some cases there is other land, and in other cases the farmland is the only space for growth.]

Photograph 7: A brownfield! This is the same as Photograph 5. How could this brownfield be used? [The brownfield could be used for recreation, as a natural area or, in some cases, residential or commercial uses once the contamination has been adequately cleaned up.]

Photograph 8: An abandoned factory on 27 acres in the city. What is it? How should it be used? [It is a brownfield. It is probably best suited for new industry, because the railroad is there and it probably has water, sewage, and electricity.

2. Locate where brownfields and greenfields occur.

Both brownfields and greenfields occur in Michigan. However, they do tend to occur in places that have certain geographical characteristics. Show the students the Michigan Land Use poster. Ask them to interpret the key and the patterns on the poster.

Where in the state is most of the land forested? [In the Upper Peninsula and the northern twothirds of the Lower Peninsula.]

Where is land use mostly agricultural? [In the southern one-third of the Lower Peninsula with the exception of the Lake Michigan Lakeshore and the region of Kalkaska sand.]

Where are the urban areas? [In the southern one-third of the Lower Peninsula, with the exception of Traverse City, Mt. Pleasant, Midland, Marquette, Escanaba, and Houghton.]

Ask the students:

Where do you predict that most of the greenfields in Michigan are located? [We know they tend to be non-urban land around the edges of cities and rural places.]

What land use covers the biggest area of greenfields shown on the poster? [Forests and agriculture.]

Write on several sticky note flags the word greenfields and place the flags on the poster over forests and agriculture.

Predicting specifically where brownfields are located is more difficult. It requires the students to make the association between population centers, cities, and industrial activities. Former gasoline stations and clothes-laundering facilities may be important brownfields in the local community. The larger brownfields are near more populated places but there are brownfields in many places, such as Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Flint, Detroit, Holland, Keweenaw Peninsula, Marquette, etc. They may be the remnants of automobile salvage yards, landfills, paper mills, industrial sites, refineries, and metal working shops.

Ask the students: Where are the oldest manufacturing sites in Michigan located? [The oldest manufacturing sites are in and near Detroit, Grand Rapids, the Lake Michigan and the Detroit River shorelines, and the very western end of Lake Superior.]

Where are most of the industrial land uses? [Most industrial land uses are in urban areas. There are some industrial sites in forests, such as sawmills and paper pulp plants. The remains of some industrial sites in rural areas are also brownfields in need of being cleaned.]

Write brownfields on sticky note flags of a different color and place them on the poster where students think brownfields might be located.

Use a guided discussion to conclude that the greenfields in Michigan are in the agricultural and forested regions of the state. Brownfields are mainly going to be in the urban and mining (copper and iron mining) areas. Explain that while this is the general pattern, there are always some exceptions. If you know of an exception in the local community, you can use it as an example. In the Kalamazoo urban community, the former paper manufacturing sites are always brownfields. A former oil factory site or abandoned petroleum storage tanks at gas stations will result in a brownfield. Brownfields are not always large in area, but the soil and water are often contaminated.

3. Introduce scientifically based criteria for making good land use decisions.

Policy-makers who decide what should be done with brownfields and greenfields must use criteria—or standards—for making those decisions. Display the transparency Criteria for Making Land Use Decisions and go over the criteria with students. For each, ask students whether a greenfield or a brownfield is more likely to receive points. (Brownfields are more likely to receive points in the Site Characteristics category; greenfields are more likely to receive points in the Financial and Environmental Issues category; ratings under Other will vary depending on the site in question.) The more points that a site receives, the more suitable for development it could be considered.

4. Evaluate a development proposal.

Divide the class into Land Use Evaluation Teams of four to five students each. Half of the teams should receive the Lakeside Factory student resource and the other half of the teams should receive the Green Acres student resource. Both of the readings are based in Marquette County. However, the county name may be changed to the local county without changing the focus of the land use decision-making process.

Each team member should receive a copy of the Making a Land Use Decision student activity. Teams should use the information in the reading to rate the site using the criteria for making land use decisions. An answer key showing appropriate ratings is provided for your convenience.

After students have read the passage about their site, rated the site, and calculated the total score for their site, they should then select one of the recommended land uses for their site or they could recommend that the site not be developed. They should identify the criteria that most strongly support their recommendations, as well as other arguments in support of development, including how the recommended land use will affect the region’s economy and how their recommended decision supports core democratic values.

5. Discuss the recommendations and make a decision.

Reconvene the entire class and explain that students must listen carefully to analysis of the other site, as they will be making the decision based on recommendations of their classmates. Describe the Lakeside Factory case. Poll the groups that analyzed the case to find out the total score they gave the site and the recommended land use. If the groups have different recommendations, ask them which criteria were most important to them in making their recommendation. When they have explained their recommendations, ask the students who studied the Green Acres case to vote on the recommended land use for the Lakeside Factory case.

Repeat the procedure, describing the Green Acres case and polling the groups that analyzed the case. When they have had a chance to share and explain their recommendations, ask the students who analyzed the Lakeside Factory case to vote on the recommended land use for the Green Acres site.