Landscape Strategies For Brownfield Regeneration Based On The Concept Of"Brown Earth-Work"

Brownfield exhibits severe threat to both public health and the environment, and has become an important subject for sustainable development worldwide. The unprecedented urbanization process in China puts great demand for land. The expansion of cities and the construction of new towns are both going rapidly. At the same time, ecological redlines and permanent farmlands are being identified and protected. Future urban development is said to be confined within fixed city boundaries. Under such circumstances, brownfield is under huge redevelopment pressure in China. Open space has been one of the desired end goals for many brownfield regeneration projects. During the complicated regeneration process, the discipline of landscape architecture plays a vital role, connecting knowledge across a wide range of disciplines, synthesizing design considerations on physical space, ecological systems, as well as social and cultural aspects. However, there has been little comprehensive and systematic research on brownfield regeneration within the field of landscape architecture. Theoretical guidance is of particularly urgent need for brownfield regeneration practice in China.This dissertation identifies key obstacles of current brownfield regeneration practice and explores a landscape strategy, aiming to construct a comprehensive epistemological understanding, as well as to provide guidance for real-world practice. A trans-disciplinary approach was adopted, using methods including literature review, on-site investigation, interview, online survey, case study, and comparative study. With brownfield being the research subject, a Chinese definition is proposed. Unique challenges of brownfield regeneration are discussed, and distinctive project characteristics are summarized. It is discovered through the research that one of the major problems in current brownfield regeneration practice is the separation between processes of contamination remediation and site spatial design. There is a lack of research focusing on the core component of brownfield that creates the characteristics it exhibits. A theory on the spatial and formal concerns of brownfield regeneration and its supporting methods is needed within the discipline of landscape architecture. In response, the concept of "Brown Earth-Work"(BEW) is proposed in this dissertation, which emphasizes the physical and spatial dimensions of "contamination". By identifying the key spatial element in brownfield regeneration, BEW can serve as a platform for closer dialogues and collaborations between the disciplines of landscape architecture and environmental engineering during the process Based on the concept of BEW and current development challenges, three categories of brownfields are then identified, including derelict industrial and infrastructural land, abandoned mining sites, and landfills. For each category, its BEW composition and site characters are described, potential BEW remediation approaches are summarized, and a framework of landscape strategies is developed in terms of topography, water system, and vegetation. Successful international and national cases are analyzed through the angle of BEW to examine its application in practice.My research then carries on to the specific situation of brownfield regeneration in China with an introduction of its beginning and development in the past decade. Discussions are carried out on the drivers and obstacles of brownfield regeneration within the unique context of China’s contemporary urbanization process. After examining typical Chinese cases, two regeneration methods are proposed based on the concept of BEW, which are the five-step method for on-site regeneration and the complete-cycle management method for off-site regeneration. Stemming from real need of Beijing Beishenshu Sanitary Landfill closure and reuse, the five-step method is applied and verified through its regeneration design process.In the last part of the dissertation, the practice of brownfield regeneration is put under a holistic epistemological vision using the framework of the Sciences of Human Settlements. Brownfield regeneration principles are raised under the "five-views" of ecology, economy, technology, society, and art and culture. Action strategies are articulated under the "five-scales" of world, region, city, district, and building. A trans-disciplinary approach is emphasized in both practice and theoretical research of brownfield regeneration.