Tennessee Valley Authority Economic Development
Sustainable Development Guide
Section 8: Glossary
Brownfields
According to EPA, brownfields are abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. Through its Brownfields Initiative, the EPA empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. The EPA's brownfields strategies include funding pilot programs and other research efforts, clarifying liability issues, entering into partnerships, conducting outreach activities, developing job training programs, and addressing environmental justice concerns.
Infill development program
Infill development is new construction on scattered vacant or underutilized lots in the established neighborhoods and business districts of a community. These infill sites are typically located closer to the center of a community and are already served by public infrastructure, such as roads and water and sewer lines. Infill development has many benefits. It is often accessible by public transit or walking, and requires shorter trip distances than development on the periphery. But it may not happen on its own without some intervention by local government.
Local governments can encourage more infill development while at the same time guiding this development so that it enhances the quality of life in established neighborhoods. An effective program will include the elements outlined in this document:
http://www.dca.state.ga.us/intra_nonpub/Toolkit/Guides/InfilDevtProg.pdf
By-right development
Need definition
Low-impact development
Low-impact development employs strategies that are different from those of conventional engineering. They integrate green space, native landscaping, natural hydrologic functions, and various other techniques to generate less runoff from developed land. Read more.
Cluster development
By reducing lot sizes and employing narrow and shorter road widths and lengths, cluster developments typically have less impervious surface area than more dispersed development patterns do.
