Integrated urban remediation and greening

 

Why research is necessary

Achieving sustainable remediation of brownfield sites is highly complex because of the heterogeneous nature of ground conditions, contaminants present, and potential multiple pathways to receptors.

All too often this leads to contamination being cleaned up to generic levels (i.e. the standard of remediation is the same for different end-usage) and the formation of the final landscape occurs in isolation of the remedial process.

Existing sites, where integrated remediation and greening solutions have been employed, provide a vital vehicle for investigating the sustainability of remediation and greening systems and for securing the development of robust, reliable, cost effective and sustainable design methods of the future.

Experimental research is also necessary to test the:

• Interaction of different types of vegetation with engineered systems
• The ability of materials remediated in-situ to support vegetation
• The re-use of materials within the creation of green landscapes.

Research overview

We are conducting a project through the EPSRC SUBR:IM consortium designed to achieve five specific objectives:

• To review existing information on integrated remediation and greening systems
• To assess the sustainability of a number of existing integrated remediation and greening systems and their design methods
• To develop environmental, economic and social sustainability criteria for urban greening
• To develop improved and new integrated remediation and greening solutions designed to meet the developed sustainability criteria. This will be achieved by performing experimental work
• To provide technology transfer on achieving integrated sustainable urban remediation and greening.

Related publications

 The Use of Compost in the Regeneration of Brownfield Land ^(PDF-409K)
SUBR:IM bulletin 10

Timescale

This research began in 2003 and is due for completion in 2006.