What is a key benefit of brownfield redevelopment besides reducing urban sprawl?

• A. Increased car dependency.
• B. Reducing municipal services.
• C. Increasing greenfield development.
• D. Revitalized neighborhoods, cleanup of contamination, and preservation of greenfields.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that redeveloping brownfields delivers benefits to urban areas by renewing existing sites while protecting surrounding land. Turning these previously developed, often contaminated sites into usable housing, offices, or community spaces revitalizes neighborhoods—drawing investment, reducing vacancy, and improving streetscapes and quality of life. Cleaning up contamination lowers health and environmental risks, making the area safer for residents, workers, and visitors. At the same time, focusing growth on brownfields helps preserve greenfields—farmland, natural habitats, and open space—by avoiding new development on undeveloped land outside the city. These combined outcomes—neighborhood revitalization, site cleanup, and preservation of greenfields—are the key non-sprawl benefits of brownfield redevelopment.