Publication Date

1999

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Greene, Richard P.

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

Department of Geography

LCSH

Brownfields--Illinois; Decision making--Mathematical models; Real estate development--Environmental aspects--Illinois; Urban renewal--Environmental aspects--Illinois; Commercial real estate--Environmental aspects--Illinois; Industrial real estate--Environmental aspects--Illinois

Abstract

Environmental regulations in late 1970s and early 1980s, coupled with shifts in population and economic restructuring, have unintentionally created a large number of underused and abandoned commercial and industrial sites. These sites have become known as ?brownfields.? Attempts to redevelop these sites have been hindered by issues of purchaser liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, also known as ?Superfund?) as outlined under US Code 42, Chapter 103. Recent amendments to environmental legislation at both the federal and state level have begun to ease the issue of liability and are now offering a combination of tax breaks and grant money as incentives to promote the redevelopment of these sites. The goal of this paper is to apply the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to the brownfield situation in an effort to analytically select brownfield sites suitable for redevelopment. Due to the complex decision process in selecting a brownfield site, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is applied as a method to quantitatively aid in the organization of the decision process and, therefore, lead to an improved decision. The AHP model was constructed and tested using four sites currently in the Illinois Site Remediation Program with model ranking the sites from a low of 15 to a high of 36.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [45]-49).

Extent

viii, 63 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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