Design of brownfield landscapes under different contaminant remediation policies in Europe and the United States

The relationship between brownfield landscape design and policy for remediation of contaminants is both an ethical issue and a creative opportunity for designers. Under widely varying policies across Europe and the United States (US), residual contamination, which remains even after required remediation, is pervasive on redeveloped sites. Landscape design that anticipates evolving scientific understanding of contaminant exposure risks and changing policy requirements can strengthen the resilience of brownfield designs. Specifically, the appearance of the landscape can influence exposures to residual contamination by cueing the behavior of humans and other organisms to avoid exposures. We discuss three problems to be considered in the design of appropriate cues: the problem of invisible environmental processes, the problem of false identity stemming from mistaken perceptions, and the problem of design as deceit. Then, we consider three iconic public parks designed in different policy settings: Gasworks Park, Duisburg Nord, and Crissy Field. These designs embody appropriate cues for affecting behavior on redeveloped brownfield sites. Drawing on lessons from these parks, we conclude that the design of brownfield redevelopments can employ landscape appearance as one tool to limit human and ecosystem exposures to residual contaminants.