Defining the sustainability objectives of brownfield regeneration to greenspace

This paper considers projects involving greenspace establishment on brownfield land, and proposes objectives which such projects should meet in order for them to be considered as sustainable. A brief review of the policy context illustrates that brownfield regeneration to greenspace projects are usually branded as inherently sustainable, an assumption that is challenged. The authors accept the value-based nature of sustainability, and examine the brownfield greening procedure in the UK including different stakeholders involved in order to establish the components which influence the sustainability of such projects. Results of interviews with a range of stakeholders are presented which show that a stakeholder's profession capacity in decision making strongly influences their perception of sustainability. This consequently affects the priorities placed on objectives that greenspace is expected to achieve. Fragmentation in responsibilities and a lack of continuity during greenspace creation are revealed as major obstacles in achieving long-term site sustainability. Further fragmentation was observed between objectives stated by policy and management personnel and in the understanding of how these can be fulfilled. Recommendations for designing sites to achieve specific functionality using participatory, context specific methods are made and a standard set of sustainability objectives are proposed. These could be used to design brownfield greenspace, and followed through to implementation, management and long-term monitoring.