Characterising brownfield and assessing the provision of urban ecosystem services

Summary

Brownfield is generally described and associated with negative terminology such as ‘wasteland’, ‘degraded’, ‘contaminated’, ‘abandoned’. As a result, brownfield regeneration is considered inherently sustainable since they are traditionally assumed to be degraded ecosystems. Brownfield, however, is incredibly diverse, with some sites containing significant green infrastructure. Whilst a very small proportion of brownfield sites have high value for biodiversity (recognised in the UK BAP Priority Open Mosaic Habitat), their wider ecosystem services provision are not well evidenced. This is important since brownfield is experiencing rapid change and is under pressure from development, stimulated by brownfield-first development approaches. It is therefore important to assess the potential impact of brownfield redevelopment on urban resilience before they are lost.

Our research has (1) developed a novel typology to characterise brownfield sites, considering the diverse physical characteristics of brownfield (2) quantified several ecosystem services provided by brownfield and compared this to ‘green’ land use types (parks) (3) assessed spatial associations between brownfield, environmental hazards and social vulnerability.

Whilst the research focuses on Greater Manchester as a case study, brownfields are present across global post-industrial cities, and our research provides transferable methodologies and learning that is relevant beyond Greater Manchester.

Research highlights

• A novel typology identifies 26 brownfield types and twelve types of urban parks in Greater Manchester, UK.
• >50% of brownfield land is vegetated, contributing to green infrastructure.
• Brownfield with uneven topography, irregular shape, and those containing a water body are highly vegetated.
• Impervious brownfield types are clustered in densely built-up urban areas.
• Highly vegetated brownfield are widely distributed across the urban region.
• Brownfields provide approximately five times more regulating ecosystem services (carbon stored, air pollution removed, avoided runoff) than parks in densely built urban areas, due to the disproportionate area of vegetated brownfield.
• Parks are estimated to provide three times more regulating ecosystem services than brownfield overall.
• The limited provision of park space in urban zones results in a paucity of ecosystem service provision compared to brownfields.
• Brownfields offer considerable potential to benefit urban and sub-urban ecosystem service provision.
• Several types of brownfield provide more regulating ecosystem services per unit area than many park types.

Project team

Dr Gina Cavan, Dr Paul Preston, Dr Rachel Dunk, Graham Smith

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Academic papers

• Preston, P.D., Dunk, R.M., Smith, G.R. & Cavan, G. (2024). Examining regulating ecosystem service provision by brownfield and park typologies and their urban distribution. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 129311.
• Preston, P.D., Dunk, R.M., Smith, G.R. & Cavan, G. (2023). Not all brownfields are equal: A typological assessment reveals hidden green space in the city. Landscape and Urban Planning 104590.