Infusing Sustainability into Brownfields Planning and Redevelopment: Lessons from Canada and the United States

The current war in Ukraine and ongoing Russian aggression are leaving behind a legacy of polluted, damaged, and destroyed property that the country will need to address once the tyrants are defeated. This paper provides a brief overview of brownfield policy and activity in the United States and Canada over the past three decades to help Ukraine understand how the two countries have laid the groundwork for assessing, remediating, and redeveloping their potentially contaminated lands, including those damaged by military activities. The paper then reviews brownfield redevelopment fundamentals and explores best practices in infusing sustainability into brownfield redevelopment activities and measuring sustainability outcomes. The hope is that future brownfield redevelopment activities in Ukraine will help repair the past, promote sustainable practices, and lay the foundation for the future that Ukrainians deserve.