Negotiation characteristics in brownfield redevelopment projects

Brownfield areas are contaminated lands that lie unused and unproductive. Because of the serious economic, social, political, and environmental damages that brownfield problems can cause to society, governments are focusing their attentions on the redevelopment of these contaminated sites. However, the excess costs of reconstruction projects over their benefits often stall the initiation of projects. Moreover, brownfield projects involve several uncertainties that seriously contribute to the challenges of brownfield redevelopment, such as uncertainty about the extent of contamination and the uncertainty in cleanup costs. To overcome these challenges, negotiation among the involved parties (government, owner, purchaser, and their stakeholders) is one of the most efficient tactics to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution and, as such, saves an enormous amount of time, cost, and resources. This paper aims at discussing the negotiation process associated with remediation and redevelopment of brownfield projects. Timing, type of contaminate, extent of contaminate, zoning, offsite impact, and the number of players are some of the most important factors affecting the study of brownfield negotiation and their ultimate redevelopment. The needs and interests of the various parties involved in a brownfield negotiation process are discussed. Initial steps towards the development of a decision support system for resolving brownfield conflicts through negotiation are then highlighted.