Understanding Brownfield Regeneration in Iran through the Lens of International Experience

Abstract

The rapid growth of urban areas arising from the economic and geopolitical trends of the last century has resulted in an increasing volume of underutilized land within cities across the developed and developing world. To pursue the ideal of efficient use of natural resources and to contain the far-reaching implications of urban sprawl, brownfield recycling and reuse has been adopted as a pragmatic policy approach over recent decades. Even though the systematic regeneration of brownfield land has become an important policy agenda in many nations, the phenomenon of brownfield is still unexplored within the current statutory framework of Iran. This research aims to provide an inclusive explanation of ‘brownfield regeneration’ in Iran. It seeks answers to fundamental questions about how brownfield sites have emerged, and how they could be effectively responded to in policy and action. Using a multiple-case study approach, the research examines how countries in different regional and political contexts have understood and practiced land recycling and reuse. Considering four international cases, including the US, Europe, Japan and China, this study analyses the brownfield formation process and legislative response. Such analysis helps to set some findings suited to the scope for brownfield regeneration and policy development in Iran. To shed light on brownfield-related issues in Iran, this research is structured in three major phases. The first phase is based on data collection and analysis of international case studies, investigating the rooted causes of brownfield generation and key characteristics of the policy-making process across these different examples. Drawing on the findings from international case study analysis, the second phase of this study develops an analytical tool, namely Environmental Policy Integration for Brownfields (EPIB). Through the lens of the EPIB tool, multiple development factors in brownfield policies and practices are comparatively analysed. Finally, the third phase applies this analytical tool to the Iranian context. Using several case study site visits and interviews with different stakeholder groups in Iran, the study explains how brownfield sites have been formed within Iranian cities, and to what extent development agencies and actors have understood the concept of brownfield regeneration to date. This thesis highlights the key challenges, opportunities and shortcomings arising from the current state of brownfield-related policies in Iran. These findings are relevant to all levels of government and provide a foundation to future policy development in relation to brownfield sites in Iran.