Contaminated, vacant, or derelict lands, commonly known as brownfields, offer opportunities for economic growth, community revitalization, and increasing resident’s quality of life. Due to numerous social, economic, and political forces, brownfields are becoming increasingly concentrated in previously industrial cities and urban areas in the United States and Europe. Literature is readily available on brownfield definitions, policies that guide brownfield management, barriers and challenges to remediation, and economic and environmental benefits of redevelopment. Research is limited on public sector brownfield redevelopment strategies. Many of the previous planning efforts and much of the existing literature is centered on private investment in brownfield sites and vacant land where the site remains commercial or industrial and the process excludes community involvement.This study focuses on public investment in the adaptive reuse of brownfields by assessing applicable policies and programs, exploring funding practices, and addressing misconceptions about public investment in brownfield redevelopment in the US and Germany. General and location specific information is gathered from scholarly journals and articles, and existing public documents and records, and details on current processes and experiences are revealed through case studies of redevelopment projects in Michigan and the Ruhr region.
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