1155

adis index

Zweig Group is social and posting every day! C O N N E C T W I T H U S

facebook.com/ ZweigGroup

twitter.com/ ZweigGroup

linkedin.com/company/ ZweigWhite

blog. ZweigGroup .com vimeo.com/ ZweigGroup

such sites provide an opportunity to transform urban commu- nities, but it will enable impaired land owners to maximize the value of their underutilized properties.” Environmental remediation is nothing new, and there are plen- ty of examples of old brownfields that have been turned into dy- namic properties. What the Arcadis index brings to the table for the first time is an assessment of a city’s dynamism – business climate, job growth, GDP, and workforce – and how it might en- hance the viability of a remediation. The end goal is to match a cost-effective project with one that will also yield long-term results for residential, commercial, or mixed-use development. Index author Kurt Beil, a global leader in environmental resto- ration with Arcadis, is crisscrossing the United States shopping the index to potential partners. “We’re trying to point to those places where they’ll get a return,” he says. “Those mid-tier cities are very attractive. A lot of these properties that haven’t been dealt with are very important.” Investors, of course, can be fickle, and where they decide to put their money can change over time – or in an instant. So for cit- ies like Nashville and Charlotte, which have dynamism in addi- tion to relatively low remediation costs, Biel’s message is simple. “Not only does the redevelopment of such sites provide an opportunity to transform urban communities, but it will enable impaired land owners to maximize the value of their underutilized properties.”

Arcadis city dynamism versus best cities for business

“The market is now,” he says.

There are as many as 300,000 brownfields in the United States, ranging from former gas stations to detergent manufactories, from steel mills to abandoned dry cleaning facilities, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The total cost of clean- up could exceed $200 billion. While it can take years to com- plete, remediation, according to the National Bureau of Eco- nomic Research, is good for property values. Referencing New York City’s Office of Environmental Remediation, Beil says the process can unlock billions in investments. Beil, with a background in civil and environmental engineering, says the inventory of developable brownfields is adequate for a “We’re trying to point to those places where they’ll get a return. Those mid-tier cities are very attractive. A lot of these properties that haven’t been dealt with are very important.”

Courtesy, Arcadis

See ARCADIS, page 8

R June 6, 2016, ISSUE 1155

Made with FlippingBook Annual report