greenfield

A brand new installation of hardware or software without having to integrate new elements into existing ones. Contrast with "brownfield," which is an upgrade to the current system. Greenfield and brownfield are building industry terms that refer to clean, undeveloped land (green) versus contaminated land or land with existing structures (brown). The terms may refer to network installations as well. See green, greenware and greenwashing.

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Brownfield

The designation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for existing facilities or sites that are abandoned, idled, or otherwise underused real property where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination that needs to be cleaned up before the site can be used again. Examples are former dry-cleaning establishments and gas stations. The use of brownfields typically reduces land cost by using land that is less desirable. However, lower land costs must be balanced against the cost of any required remediation and possible health risks to residents. The EPA sponsors an initiative to help mitigate these health risks and return the facility or land to renewed use. Many green guidelines and standards provide points for building in brownfield areas.

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References in periodicals archive

"Our panel of expert speakers will talk about overcoming the obstacles to brownfield land availability, managing contamination risks and finding suitable financing mechanisms to reduce the risks of brownfield development.

University conference on brownfield land

A recent report by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) stated that if local planning authorities do not record the full range of suitable brownfield sites and deliver appropriately high-density developments on these sites, and can't do more to get the right sites built out, then opportunities will be missed resulting in valued green spaces and the countryside being placed at risk.

Kirklees is breaking its own electoral promise

Efforts to redevelop environmentally contaminated properties received a boost March 23 with the passage of an omnibus spending bill that included the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act, known as the BUILD Act, which extends federal funding for brownfields through 2023 and makes additional program reforms.

Brownfield programs receive funding and reforms

The Brownfield Health Indicator tool can be downloaded as a Microsoft Excel file or PDF.

Minnesota releases brownfields tool

So it would appear to be signifi-cant that the Durham University researchers found that local communities with large amounts of brownfield land had poorer health outcomes, including limiting long term illness.

How brown can get you down; Living near land left vacant after previously being developed is bad for your health, new research from North academics shows. Tony Henderson talks to the researchers whose work could have far reaching impacts

(2000), who stressed that 'brownfield' has become an internationally recognized term that usually refers to 'any land or premises which has previously been used or developed and is not currently fully in use, although it may be partially occupied or utilized, they may be vacant, derelict or contaminated and therefore not necessarily available for immediate use without intervention'.

Destiny of urban Brownfields: spatial patterns and perceived consequences of post-socialistic deindustrialization

Nearly 15 per cent of all nationally scarce insects are recorded from brownfield sites and there are as many Red Data and nationally scarce invertebrate species associated with brownfield sites as with ancient woodlands.

Golden brownfields; Some of the country's best wildlife havens are on former industrial land, according to conservationists. Mary Griffin reports

Part I addresses the barriers to and benefits of brownfield

The role of Brownfields as sites for mixed use development projects in America and Britain

Brownfield's daily e-mail newsletter, "Agriculture Today," includes a capsule of the day's agricultural news, markets and analysis.

Brownfield Ag News

The new grant program will make over $9 million in City funds available over the next several years to fund environmental investigations, environmental cleanups, and brownfield planning by community based organizations throughout the City.

City dangles $9M carrot for Brownfield cleanup