Off the Mark?

Targeting public redevelopment funding toward the most marketable brownfields is viewed as an economically efficient use of scarce resources because it may guarantee the greatest likelihood of success. But to what extent does this policy result in spatial and social inequities by neglecting contaminated sites in distressed neighborhoods containing minority and low-income populations? This case study of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, identified that tracts with above-average percentages of African Americans and Hispanics, although containing above-average numbers of brownfields per square mile and higher percentages of brownfields compared to percentage of the city's area, had below-average city-assisted redevelopments as a percentage of all brownfields. A policy implication is that despite difficulties promoting brownfield redevelopment in distressed neighborhoods, in addition to economic efficiencies, more emphasis is needed on the social benefits of public assistance for brownfield redevelopment, including potential spillover benefits, such as crime reduction and health improvements for surrounding neighborhoods.