ABSTRACT
Recent urban renaissance projects have seen cities reimagine their skylines, waterfronts, waterways and inner-city districts by clearing, cleaning and redeveloping former industrial sites. This chapter argues, in United States the reuse of brownfield sites has been addressed within a neoliberal framework that values market solutions, private sector initiatives, public-private partnerships and entrepreneurial urban governance. In Michigan, as in most other states, legal and financial concerns in redeveloping brownfield sites have been addressed by streamlining environmental regulations, reducing technical and legal uncertainties and supporting private sector redevelopment initiatives with generous public subsidies. The term 'brownfield' emerged in different contexts, and thus is approached differently by North America and European scholars. Neoliberalism has proved to be highly adaptable and has shown itself compatible with the shift to sustainability discourses in urban governance. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria for evaluating brownfield assessment grant proposals go beyond economic efficiency criteria and reflect a concern with economic distress, social justice and sustainability.
