Brownfield Health Indicator Tool

Brownfield redevelopment is complicated, often with many roadblocks to remediation, but communities who avoid brownfield sites can inadvertently limit economic development opportunities in areas of higher poverty or urban neighborhoods with a greater minority population. Because of their location in previously developed areas, brownfields are most often concentrated in inner-city neighborhoods or in areas of economic neglect. However, planners and developers are quickly realizing the economic opportunities that exist in redeveloping contaminated sites. Because of increased preference for living within the urban core, health and economic concerns for existing residents must be addressed.

Minnesota Brownfields and the Minnesota Department of Health have developed a new Brownfield and Health Assessment tool to assist planners, public health professionals, and other brownfield redevelopment influencers in engaging the community in redevelopment planning. The tool incorporates a series of indicators that address health considerations in community planning, enabling residents to identify and prioritize their goals for improving health outcomes within their neighborhood. This tool has been piloted in an Environmental Protection Agency Area Wide Planning grant in Duluth, Minnesota for brownfield redevelopment.

Download the Brownfields Health Indicator Tool here: