Regeneration is successful if it leads to an improvement in the living environment (levels of pollution reduced, reduction in abandoned and derelict land).
Regeneration often attempts to improve the environmental quality by:
Redeveloping derelict land and buildings, and removing contaminants (chemical and dangerous organic substances in the ground, a legacy of previous industrial use) from former industrial sites
Creating new parks and green spaces, planting trees and creating new lakes and wetlands.
Putting in place new street furniture, pavements and lighting to improve the design of areas.
Regenerating housing with double-glazing and insulation to reduce indoor noise, damp problems and lower energy costs.
These environmental improvements have a number of aims:
To reduce air pollution levels; this in turn improves people's health
To create spaces for people to walk, play and practise sport, which in turn could lead to healthier, more active lifestyles.
To make urban environments safer, especially for children, pedestrians and cyclists.
To improve living conditions so people live in warm, dry, secure homes.
The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) includes both indoor and outdoor environmental quality as part of the Living Environment Deprivation Ddomain.
The 2012 London Olympics in Stratford, east London is a good example of environmental improvement, much of which occurred during the construction phase across an area of 350 ha of abandoned and derelict land, and is less obvious than the new sports facilities:
100 ha of new greenspace was created with 4000 trees, after 600,000 tonnes of soil had been cleared of contaminants like arsenic, bitumen and ammonia.
3 km of rivers and canals were cleared, and in many cases, replanted.
230,000 cubic metres of contaminated groundwater was removed and cleaned.
Most of the accommodation for athletes eventually became new homes for 2800 people, who live in a much cleaner environment than before the 2012 Olympics. In addition improvements in rail, bus routes and cycle routes improved transport in the area, potentially reducing air pollution.