Presentations

Here are a few notes on the presentations that were given in class:

Superfunds and Brownfield Grants:
Brownfields are industrial or commercial properties that have been abandoned and might be contaminated. Superfunds are properties known to be contaminated. The pros to these are that they create jobs, the existing infrastructure is in place, it brings new life to the cities, and removes eye sores. Some of its cons are unforeseen cost (like contaminates), and not all sites are economic feasible.

Eminent Domain:
An excessive of government to take private property for public use with just compensation. Some of its pros are the rejuvenation of the area, help take off the burden off tax payers , and brings jobs into the area. Cons are that it can be abused.

Adaptive reuse:
This is the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. This approach is a lot more pricy. There is a debate on whether its economically worth it. It saves energy and material waste. This is a sustainable option.

Municipal Bonds
These are city loans. They can be short or long term payments. Most of them are owned by households for home improvements.

Redevelopment:
They are very similar to adaptive reuse but used to build up rundown areas.

Transit Oriented Development:
TODs are community developments that are walkable and have public transportation. One of the pros is that it saves gas. Some of its cons are less privacy and longer commute times.

New Market Tax Credit
These encourage development in a low income area.

Enterprise Zone:
EZs are economic development tools used to attract private investments into distressed areas to promote job creation. They are used for local economic development. One of the major cons for this is that we don't know the types of jobs and wages.

Public Improvement Districts
These area areas with improvements funded by the residents. Pros include a boost in property values, and maintained infrastructure. A con is the increase in taxes.

TIFs
Methods to revitalize "blighted" areas. They are determined by city coucil and must have "blight" factors. A major con for TIFs are the misuse of funds.

Special Assessment Districts
Areas where the market value of real estate increases to pay for district improvements. A pro is that they provide infrastructure for those who need it. A con is that they can only be used for local projects within the district.

EDA
These employ and create new jobs in an area. An area needs to qualify to be an EDA. To qualify, they must be a small community, must have a high return in investment, and have a growth in in green economy.