Brownfields Policy and Practice
Brownfields are the several hundred thousand contaminated or abandoned industrial and commercial sites scattered across the United States, many in urban and historically underserved neighborhoods. This MIT course traces the Brownfield lifecycle from contamination to potential revitalization, covering the environmental, legal, and financial processes that govern redevelopment. Case studies anchor each stage, and guest speakers from public agencies, private developers, and non-profit organizations bring in perspectives from the different sectors that handle these sites. Materials include readings, assignments, and course notes made available through MIT OpenCourseWare under a Creative Commons license, free to access with no certificate offered. The course is aimed at students who want practical skills for addressing the planning problems these inactive properties create, rather than a purely theoretical treatment of urban land use.