Addressing Health Disparities among Brownfields Communities

Conditions at brownfields and land reuse sites have been associated with health disparities in neighborhoods surrounding the sites. Contaminated soil may present a health risk to young children who play on a vacant lot. Large, fenced lots may create a haven for illegal activities. Brownfields often create a negative perception of social and economic indicators in a community, reducing housing prices and limiting new business prospects. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, developed a 4-step framework to identify and prioritize health concerns in brownfields communities and ensure that public health issues are considered as redevelopment proceeds. The Brownfields/Land Revitalization Action Model assists environmental justice communities in finding their voice and becoming active members of the redevelopment process. This framework was applied to communities affected by Brownfields redevelopment in two communities in Wisconsin. In both Milwaukee and Baraboo, communities were able to use the model to 1) recognize the negative social, economic, and health impacts of brownfields on the greater community, and 2) to incorporate specific redevelopment strategies into the redevelopment plans in order to address these health disparities. Integral to the process in both communities was an involved “Development Community” comprised of all parties interested in addressing health disparities through redevelopment.