Industrial wastelands are a source of opportunities for communities. Their reconversion promises modern and attractive sites capable of instilling new local dynamics. We take stock of the challenges that such projects represent and the expected benefits for the territories concerned.
What is an industrial wasteland
How can industrial wastelands be defined? Are these sites different from urban industrial wastelands? Let’s see what brings together and what differentiates different types of industrial wastelands.
Definition of an industrial wasteland
An industrial wasteland is a site where abandoned industrial facilities remain. It requires reconversion in order to be exploited again, according to its initial purpose or for any other use useful to the community.
An industrial wasteland is defined in the broad sense as being a “built or unbuilt space, formerly used for industrial, commercial or other activities, abandoned for more than 2 years and of more than 2,000 m²”.
What is the difference between industrial wasteland and urban wasteland? The terms industrial wasteland and urban wasteland are sometimes interchanged. They both correspond to the official definition, but they are not entirely comparable. The first is designated by the nature of the activities, while the second depends on a location on the territory.
Urban wasteland is land, not necessarily initially intended for industrial use, left abandoned in an urban environment awaiting reuse. It could be a commercial wasteland or a demolished residential complex.
What wastelands have in common
All industrial, urban, commercial, logistics or agricultural wastelands have in common a transitory nature. These disused areas are an opportunity to develop new urban developments by mobilizing land that has already been built on. They can be rehabilitated and requalified to support the community’s new ambitions.
What differentiates the types of industrial wastelands
The nature of the activities carried out on the disused area profoundly changes the conditions of rehabilitation. On an industrial zone where substances or materials that are dangerous to health or the environment still exist, the operation will be more delicate than for a simple forgotten residential complex.
How does an urban industrial wasteland appear
An urban industrial wasteland is the result of the inadequacy of a site to the dynamics of its environment. Sometimes, the gap is there from the start. This is the case when a large real estate project comes to fruition, but it does not find buyers. Very often, it is local socio-economic, political or strategic developments that will have made the site obsolete.
The fall of large industries from the 1970s (energy crisis, international competition, etc.) has thus contributed to the proliferation of industrial wastelands in the territories of Ohio. In the most affected cities such as Cleveland, these industrial wastelands are becoming a major urban issue.
Their locations are often very prominent, at the entrance to cities or in the very heart of the urban space. In fact, the confrontation with the decline that they symbolize is constant. In return, these strategic positions strengthen the potential of rehabilitated and requalified urban industrial wastelands for the economic renewal and the renewed attractiveness of the city.
Effects of the rehabilitation of an urban industrial wasteland for the community
The rehabilitation of an urban industrial wasteland is an opportunity for the community to meet the needs for new construction without touching non-artificialized land, while revaluing a disused area.
A lever for economic revitalization
Instead of abandoned buildings, the industrial wasteland reclassified as a business park is an opportunity to create new jobs. The attractiveness of the site for businesses plays an important role here. The geographical position close to major roads is an asset, but we must go further by offering new quality infrastructure in a pleasant setting.
A surface to be exploited without new artificialization of the soil
The industrial wasteland is a surface that has already been artificialized in the past. Of course, its abandonment has allowed vegetation to regain its rights, offering a refuge to insects and animals. Rehabilitation can include the preservation of biodiversity niches in an urban environment for eco-responsible urbanization. In all cases, the revaluation of a disused site makes it possible to meet the land needs of local businesses without urban sprawl.
Controlled environmental and health risks
The decontamination of industrial wastelands and their surroundings during their reconversion contributes to maintaining a healthier environment for plant, animal and human life. These projects are an opportunity to establish a thorough diagnosis and correct all the disorders accumulated over the years, even decades of inactivity. At the end of the project, the community gains a sustainably cleaned site.
Examples of challenges and successful reconversions
Soils polluted by heavy metals, former landlocked industrial-port site… Each reconversion is a challenge for the city’s waste management and also the symbol of a renewal.
Some municipalities in Ohio have suffered from soil pollution by lead due to the activities of local factories, such as a foundry producing tons of lead per year. After the group was liquidated in 2003, the industrial wasteland became one of the most polluted in the country. A land replacement system was quickly put in place. The operation consisted of removing the contaminated land and replacing it with healthy land.
This urban wasteland has become an architectural playground. The area is marked by experimental projects for the development of a dynamic and mixed eco-district with residential and tertiary real estate and also cultural establishments. Specialists in the development of public spaces can support the communities of Ohio in the redevelopment of converted sites with ranges of sustainable street furniture compatible with all architectural styles.
