Brownfield Policy Improvement Task Force
(B-TEAM)
Start date: Dec 31, 2009,
End date: Dec 30, 2012
PROJECT
FINISHED
The issue of Brownfields has become a concern in Europe’s urbanised areas as a consequence of the industrial conversion. It is previously used land that has been made available and requires reclamation to a new use.B-Team is a collaborative effort to influence existing and future policies on Brownfields through examples derived from successes and experiences of the partners. The partnership was developed to include a variety of cities and academic institutions across Europe. Derelict sites that blight entire communities and stifle economic investment could be turned around more effectively by local authorities if new policies and approaches to the use of Brownfields are adopted. New policy proposals can hold the key to reviving deprived urban areas. Brownfield redevelopment has to become an important theme in environmental and other policies as governments try to implement new programmes to redevelop land that is previously used and abandoned and where redevelopment is complicatedby a real or perceived contamination.The objectives of B-Team clearly address the issue of improving and transferring Brownfield policies in partner regions and beyond. The partners will be involved in activities and events leading to the elaboration of recommendations for relevant policies in their regions. The transfer of best practices will provide a unique opportunity to learn from each others' experiences and apply new approaches.The Brownfield Days are the main activities of the project and will subsequently take place in every local authority partner’s location. Every Brownfield Days will have a specific policy focus, depending on the identified policies of the hosting partner. The potential for improvement/transfer to appropriate partners in other regions will be evaluated. For every partner who signs up to the policy transfer (Brownfield Pledge) the partners will jointly identify a Brownfield Policy Enabler who will work out recommendations to ensure the implementation ofthe transfer.Following the new or improved policy proposals, Brownfield land is set to be used more effectively and efficiently to support communities. The policy proposals will acknowledge the importance of reusing Brownfield land for a full range of activities.The signing of the Brownfield Pledge will ensure that the results remain after the project's completion. The lessons learned are shared with other partners. The project demonstrates transferability by publishing the Brownfield Pledge and giving other interested parties the opportunity to adopt it. The Brownfield Pledge will ensure long term benefits by committing the partners to the improvement of their actions and policies. New EU-members will benefit from the existing experience of "old" partners, esp. concerning the transfer and adaptation to environmental, economic and procedural standards. In parallel established EU partners may profit from innovative, sometimes unorthodox solutions provided by new EU partners. Achievements: The collaborative effort by 14 partners from 11 different countries to influence policies on Brownfields through sharing their successes and experiences has continued. The partnership was developed to include a variety of cities and academic institutions across Europe, with the objective to improve and transfer Brownfield policies in partner regions and beyond. The partners are involved in activities and events leading to the elaboration of recommendations for relevant policies in their regions. The 1st Brownfield Days took place in Oulu/Finland on September 2010 focusing on land-use planning and cultural and community issues. According to the recommendations of the project partners following the Brownfield Days, the host partner from Oulu signed their Brownfield Pledge. The signing of the policy transfer (Brownfield Pledge) ensures long-term benefits after the project's completion by committing the partners to the improvement of their actions and policies. The 2nd Brownfield Days took place in Torino/Italy on November 2010. Here the focus was on environment and urban regeneration. The recommendations of the partners were incorporated into the Brownfield Pledge of the City and approved by committee. The 3rd Brownfield Days were held in Ruda Slaska/ Poland in March 2011. They focused on Brownfield environment with emphasis on risk management. The coal mining industry was of significant importance for the local economy and vitality of Ruda Slaska and the Silesian region.The 4th Brownfield Days were held in Sevilla/ Spain in June 2011. The partners’ experiences in re-imagining the productive spaces were shared as Sevilla has vast areas of industrial spaces such as former military sites, ammunition factory and others.In July 2011 the City of Dresden in Germany hosted the 5th Brownfield Days. In various workshops the participants discussed land use structures and how to trigger redevelopment of Brownfields through temporary uses. In Vilnius/Lithuania the 6th Brownfield Days took place in October 2011 with the focus on environmental issues, landscape and urban policies and involvement of different stakeholders. The 7th Brownfield Days were successfully conducted in Dublin, Ireland in May 2012. The focus of this event was on the role of urban spaces in the regeneration process. Sub-themes discussed the role of urban design, connectivity, diversity and vitality, and heritage and natural environment. As a project strategy, the results of previous Brownfield Days are presented in the European Dissemination Events (EDE). Four EDEs took place so far: in Dresden /Germany in December 2010; in Hajdú-Bihar/Hungary in April 2011; in Ruda Śląska/Poland in September 2011 and in Vilnius/Lithuania in April 2012.In each of these EDEs the results of the previous BD were presented as well as examples of successful Brownfield regeneration projects across Europe. The project website has continued to provide relevant information about the project and its objectives, and the partnership across Europe.
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