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RISK ASSESSMENT/RISK MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION FOR BROWNFIELDS REDEVELOPMENT DECISION MAKING
Citation:
Schock*, S AND E BradyRoberts*. RISK ASSESSMENT/RISK MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION FOR BROWNFIELDS REDEVELOPMENT DECISION MAKING. Presented at National Brownfields Conference, Charlotte, NC, 11/13-15/2002.
Description:
Brownfields redevelopment is an integrated process which involves individuals from varied disciplines and with widely varied interest in the project. it involves a group of developers, their financial backers, the local governments who permit the redevelopment of the site or sites, and the community in which the project occurs. This community includes the affected neighborhoods, the potential workforce from the area, the associated businesses, and the areas surrounding the project during redevelopment and after the completion of the project. The community in which the redevelopment project occurs is a key to the eventual success or failure of the project. Therefore, it is paramount that the community be informed of the potential project from the earliest stages of planning, so that their needs and interests can be factored into the planning. The initiators of the project can benefit from using the principles behind the Risk Assessment Paradigm to assess and communicate about the project with all of the stakeholders. By following the steps of the paradigm, project managers can understand their project better, characterize the project and its benefits for the community, assure those who must invest in or insure the project that the risks asociated with the project are known and manageable, and communicate to all parties on a more credible basis about the realities of the project. The managers can be more confident about the long-term success of the project when using the principles of risk assessment. The four steps of the paradigm, hazard identification, exposure assessment, does-response considerations, and characterization can be applied to a redevelopment project to improve the planning, approach, communication and outcome. Applying the Risk Assessment Paradigm as a roadmap or process for initiating and carrying out a Brownfields redevelopment project allows the project managers to be inclusive of all of the stakeholders and to raise the confidence of all involved that they understand the risks associated with the sites and help them to make sound decisions to achieve the goals of the redevelopment project.