RICS Education Trust and Kajima Foundation

2008-2010

The Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD) and Osaka University are partnering on a research programme which is examining the drivers and barriers in the regeneration of 'hardcore' brownfield sites in Manchester and Osaka (historically known as the 'Manchester of the Orient').

The leaders of the research are Professor Hirokazu Abe (Cybermedia Centre, Osaka University) and Professor Tim Dixon (OISD, Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment, Oxford Brookes University). The research is funded through the Kajima Foundation in Japan and RICS Education Trust in the UK and has strong links with ongoing brownfield research projects based at TRL and University of Manchester (Professor Paul Syms).

The research is designed to compare the English and Japanese experience in regenerating 'hardcore' brownfield sites. 'Hardcore' sites are long-term derelict sites where contamination is a particular issue and where the site may be located in a marginal location, often with fragmented ownership and many different interests within a single parcel of land. Japan's experience of tackling brownfield sites is relatively new in terms of its legislative programme and its planning regime. In contrast to England, Japan lacks the power to impose checks and balances on the redevelopment of contaminated sites.

However, Japan faces similar problems to England in coming to terms with sites which, during an economic recession, require clean-up, but which may be viewed as 'stigmatised' either before or after remediation. By focusing on a detailed set of case studies on hardcore sites in Manchester (England) and Osaka (Japan) the research will:

• Compare the context and background for brownfield regeneration in England and Japan;
• Identify the drivers and barriers for the regeneration of hardcore sites;
• Examine the causes of 'market failure' in such sites in the context of changing economic conditions locally, regionally and nationally;
• Examine the relationship and roles of key stakeholders in the process of bringing these sites back into use; and,


Workshop presentation

• Identify the key solutions for bringing such sites back into use through the development of a 'toolkit' for stakeholders.

Manchester and Osaka are both third cities in their countries; have strong regeneration brand identities; and have substantial brownfield issues, where contamination is often an issue.

Workshop:

9 September 2009

10.15am	Introductions and Welcome (Professor Tim Dixon, OISD)
10.30am	Project Overview (Professor Tim Dixon, OISD)
10.45am	Osaka Brownfield Research (Professor Hirokazu Abe, Osaka University and Dr Noriko Otsuka)
11.20am	Coffee
11.30am	Social Impact of Brownfield Development (Professor Paul Syms, University of Manchester)
11.30am	Coffee
12.00am	Regeneration Research at Ulster University (Professor Stanley McGreal, University of Ulster)
12.30pm	TRL Brownfield project (Anne Binsted)
1pm	Lunch
1.00pm	Conclusions and next steps
1.30pm	Further discussions on other mutual areas of research
2.30pm	Close