Driving Industrial Revitalization with Net-Zero Energy

This briefing by RMI argues that revitalizing old industrial sites using net-zero energy (NZE) design can drive urban economic development, improve resident quality of life, and reduce citywide carbon emissions. It highlights the advantages of 'district scale' redevelopment and provides several US-based examples of NZE projects transforming former manufacturing and steel sites into sustainable mixed-use communities.

• Redeveloping former industrial sites for net-zero energy (NZE) provides strategic advantages including proximity to city centers and residential areas, lower land costs, and potential waterfront access. These projects can attract diverse tenants such as research facilities, technology companies, and new industry while offering residents improved air quality, walkable communities, and reduced energy bills.
• Developing NZE projects at a 'district scale'—larger industrial sites—creates efficiencies that reduce construction costs and increase energy performance. These benefits include bulk procurement, district heating and cooling systems, and the ability to optimize urban form for natural ventilation, daylight, and rooftop solar photovoltaic panels.
• Several US cities are implementing NZE revitalization projects, often supported by the US Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Districts Accelerator. Notable examples include the 135-acre Ford Site in St. Paul, MN, which prioritizes 20 percent affordable housing; the 250-acre National Western Center in Denver, CO; and the 180-acre Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh, PA, which aims for net positive energy using an RMI-developed business model to avoid first-cost premiums.
• Other emerging NZE industrial redevelopments include a manufacturing facility planned by the Erie County Industrial Development Agency on a former Bethlehem Steel site in Buffalo, NY, and the 600-acre South Chicago Lakeside redevelopment of the South Work Steel Mill site.

APA

RMI (2018). Driving Industrial Revitalization with Net-Zero Energy. https://rmi.org/resources/driving-industrial-revitalization-with-net-zero-energy/

Chicago

RMI. Driving Industrial Revitalization with Net-Zero Energy. 2018. https://rmi.org/resources/driving-industrial-revitalization-with-net-zero-energy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Driving Industrial Revitalization with Net-Zero Energy |date=16 April 2018 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/driving-industrial-revitalization-with-net-zero-energy/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2018driving, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Driving Industrial Revitalization with Net-Zero Energy}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/driving-industrial-revitalization-with-net-zero-energy/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }