Assisting Weak-Market Communities with Brownfields Reuse

brownfield The Delta Redevelopment Institute (Delta REDI), an affiliate of the Delta Institute, is a Chicago-based non-profit environmental and economic development organization that provides technical assistance to revitalize blighted communities in the Great Lakes Region.

Delta REDI received a Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grant from EPA in August 2008 and is examining new reuse opportunities for brownfield sites in weak-market communities. This project intends to advance existing research on greener cleanups and produce user-friendly educational materials for local stakeholders in brownfields reuse. Activities under the four-year U.S. EPA grant include:

Greener Cleanups Research – Research on site-specific “Quick Guides to Greener Cleanups” for the State of Illinois, State of Michigan, and City of Indianapolis as well as a “Biopile Feasibility Report."
Community Food Project Planning – Technical assistance to communities in Chicago and Indianapolis on projects that include an urban farm and market and a food production and distribution center on a former brownfield.
Waste Reduction and Recycling Planning – Technical assistance to start-up businesses, including the ReBuilding Exchange (a new affiliate of the Delta Institute) and Chicago Composts, LLC.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Planning – Technical assistance to communities, including the Chicagoland area and Madison, Wisconsin, to assess the feasibility of selected vacant or underutilized sites for urban wind power generation.
Green Economic Development Opportunities Strategies – Research on green economic development opportunities in pilot communities each year. The first year focused on Indianapolis, Indiana; South Suburban Chicago; and Racine County, Wisconsin. Year two focused on Sterling, Illinois; Elkhart County, Indiana; and Madison, Wisconsin. Year three is focusing on Benton Harbor, Michigan; Muskegon, Michigan; Lansing, Michigan; and the Quad Cities along the Illinois-Iowa border.

Through its grant, Delta is also developing training events and tools. Examples include:

Roadmap cover Roadmaps to the Green Economy