Design and verification of a simple approach to brownfields categorization

Abstract

Brownfields have been the subject of research, evaluation, categorization and, of course, redevelopment for many years. The ABC(D) model (an assessment tool to identify different types of sites in terms of their potential) by the Concerted Action on Brownfield and Economic Regeneration Network (CABERNET) has been mentioned in many publications. The aim of the assessment method presented in this article is to use the basic essence of the categories in the ABC(D) model and to use our own very simple criteria. Our criteria are the result of many years of experience in the creation and management of the brownfield database. In 2017, the development potential of selected brownfields in the database of the Moravian-Silesian region (Czech Republic) was evaluated using our proposed procedure (three objective and one subjective criterion). In 2020, verification of the categories in regard to how correctly or incorrectly they were proposed was carried out. The results from this verification, including reasons for the accompanying inaccuracies, are a part of this article. We verified that the very simple evaluation procedure we proposed is functional and can be applied by database administrators continuously without the need to create complex datasets and statistical evaluations.