Greenfield development is the creation of planned communities on previously undeveloped land.
Greenfield development is the creation of planned communities on previously undeveloped land. Such land may be rural, agricultural or unused areas on the periphery of urban areas. Unlike urban sprawl, where there is little or no proper suburban planning, new field development involves efficient urban planning that aims to provide practical, affordable, and sustainable living spaces for growing urban populations. Planning takes into account future growth and development, as well as trying to avoid the many infrastructure problems that plague existing urban areas.
Greenfields may already be in use as a recreational area.
Going into greenfield development is actually much more convenient than trying to develop or modify existing urban areas. The process of revitalizing old or run-down neighborhoods, known as brownfield remediation, can be expensive, time-consuming, and fraught with a variety of social and political problems. Owners, for example, may not find the development interesting or profitable. If it’s a tough neighborhood with broken school systems, people may not be willing to move there, even after rebuilding. On the other hand, planning and developing new communities in new areas can be a comparatively faster and easier process, with no prior problems to be faced.
In their new community planning, planners can address many of the wrinkles that made urban life difficult or unpleasant. They can plan in an environmentally responsible way to make better use of both open land and land that will be used for commercial and residential purposes, and avoid destroying or polluting natural resources. Planners can try to avoid the social and economic segregation often seen in cities by ensuring that different neighborhoods have different houses and buildings of different types, sizes, and levels of accessibility. That way, people don’t have to be ghettoized based on what they earn.
Transportation and transportation routes also need to be considered. It is beneficial for people in greenfield development areas to have easy access on foot, by car, or by bicycle to workplaces, educational institutes, commercial areas, recreational areas, etc. Having a plan for a well-developed public transportation system can help decrease the public’s reliance on cars, as well as reduce pollution levels. Planners must make adequate arrangements for pedestrian and bike paths. Involving the public to some degree in planning will promote a sense of community that is essential to the long-term well-being of all planned communities.
This type of urban development requires a good amount of financing, acquisition of suitable land, detailed planning and time for careful implementation. All these factors, especially the financial ones, may not always be favourable, which is why, despite their practical soundness, these types of projects are no longer widespread. Instead of large new municipalities, it is more likely that smaller, separate communities will grow that interact with each other for more or less the same purpose.