GWORV: one of five GW trusts to receive funding toward efforts to engage their Roselawn Climate Action Group in creation of community-wide Brownfields Reuse Plan
Community Science Jan. 17, 2025
"In partnership with Groundwork USA, NPS is thrilled to announce that five Groundwork Trusts have been awarded $430,000 to engage community members in the transformation of brownfield sites into vibrant community assets through the Land Use Innovation Initiative.
This initiative, made possible through a partnership between Groundwork USA, NPS-Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, and the EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, creates opportunities for community members to play a leading role in the creation of new community parks, green spaces, and community gardens in neighborhoods where they are needed most.
There are more than 450,000 brownfield sites–lands suspected of being contaminated by hazardous substances or industrial pollutants–dotted across the country with the majority located in low-income neighborhoods with an industrial presence and history.
For over two decades, Groundwork Trusts–locally-based organizations working in partnership with the NPS, EPA, and Groundwork USA–have worked hand-in-hand with residents to transform brownfield spaces into community assets like parks, trails, green spaces, and community gardens. The Land Use Innovation Initiative builds on this expertise by expanding opportunities for residents to participate in every stage of the process.
Land Use Innovation (LUI) projects spark innovation, leadership, and long-term investment in land revitalization in Groundwork communities. Through our first round of projects in 2022-2024, seven Groundwork Trusts piloted creative strategies for collecting resident input on future brownfield projects. Groundwork Lawrence created a seasonal pop-up park on a former gas station lot. Groundwork Bridgeport launched a new virtual engagement platform to encourage residents to share their vision for an improved waterfront. Groundwork Rhode Island launched a compost education program on the site of their future commercial-scale compost hub.
“Thanks to the LUI Grant, Groundwork Rhode Island is transforming a vacant brownfield in Providence’s West End into a compost facility that diverts food waste from the landfill and connects more people to community composting and urban agriculture” said Amelia Rose, Executive Director of Groundwork Rhode Island. “This funding specifically enabled us to engage with residents, businesses, schools, and other community members to amplify their voices in the project planning for the West End Compost Hub and ensure their priorities are embedded in the vision."
This next round of Land Use Innovation projects prioritizes deepening resident engagement in long-term planning projects. With this funding:
Groundwork New Orleans’s Green Teamers, high-school-aged environmental leaders, will create a brownfield inventory to track and record location, site condition, heat, and flooding concerns and conduct community interviews to identify opportunities for green infrastructure and new green spaces.
Groundwork San Diego will collaborate with community members, local organizations, and business leaders to develop a concept plan for transforming a 17-acre brownfield into a public green space and flood mitigation park.
Groundwork Ohio River Valley will engage their Roselawn Climate Action Group, a paid coalition of community members trained to facilitate climate adaptation conversations, in the creation of a community-wide brownfield reuse plan.
Groundwork Denver will support engagement activities in Sheridan to develop a brownfield site redesign plan that includes recreation and resilience design.
Groundwork Atlanta will engage the west side neighborhood in the creation of a brownfield communication and reuse hub that will help prioritize revitalization opportunities that meet the needs of the community.
"We are proud of the partnership we have with the EPA and Groundwork USA to advance community-led conservation, outdoor recreation, and stewardship," said Heather Passchier, Groundwork Program Manager for the National Park Service. “The LUI program is modeling new ways to support communities and to educate and engage neighborhoods on brownfield reuse planning.” "
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