Brownfield Residential Development: What Happens to the Most Deprived Neighbourhoods in England?

The strategic re-use of brownfield land for housing in the late 1990s in England is a policy instrument introduced to achieve multiple sustainability and urban regeneration objectives. Previous research, mostly relying on qualitative data and local authority case studies, tends to focus on barriers and drivers of brownfield regeneration, rather than on its impact. This study aims to bridge this research gap by examining the impact of residential brownfield development in the most deprived urban areas during 2001-08. Policy impacts in terms of changing housing markets, residential density, population growth and economic deprivation are systematically examined with a series of indicators through GIS analysis and the analysis of variance tests. Conclusions are then drawn on the effectiveness of brownfield development in tackling deprivation and the relevance of these findings for the international debate about planning and land use policy. © 2012 Urban Studies Journal Limited.