Wisconsin Waterfront Revitalization Conference
Benefits of Waterfront Revitalization – Economic, Social and Environmental

Benefits
Vision
Partnerships
Aquisition
Finance
Resource Protection

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Benefits to Revitalizing Waterfronts

             Chris DeSousa, Professor of Geography at the University of                Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Co-Director of the Brownfields                Research Consortium Publication

Why focus on waterfront revitalization and brownfield redevelopment on waterfronts? This presentation highlights the benefits to revitalizing waterfronts. These quantified benefits are based on long-term studies in cities across the region.

Environmental benefits are:

• Preserving greenfields on the urban fringe because waterfront redevelopment is higher density
• Minimizing transportation pollutants and the associated human health costs
• Multi-unit dwellings are more energy efficient
• Protects and restores habitats

Community benefits include:

• Bringing people back
• Encouraging recreation
• Sparks neighborhood revitalization

Economic benefits include:

• Increase in jobs, tax revenues and investments
• Raises the value of surrounding commercial development by 10 percent and residential by 30 percent
• Reduce infrastructure cost

Other Resources

• Brownfields Research Consortium Publication