7 Small City Natural Environment • Scenarios For many communties, this history began in the late 19th, early 20th centuries with the establishment of an industrial site along a river, bay, or ocean. As industrial decline spread in the mid-to-late 20th century, many of these facilities closed, leaving behind significant environmental legacies. Residual pollution and longterm contamination became defining features of these waterfronts. In New Haven, along the Long Island Sound, participants noted that “residual pollution from the industrial history needs to be cleaned up.” Similar concerns were raised along the Lehigh River in Bethlehem, where participants described how “pollution has been a problem for decades,” referring to Scenario 1: Brownfield Sites: Lingering Pollution, Reclamation, and Redevelopment the contamination left by Bethlehem Steel. When industry left, it often took investment with it, leaving cities to contend with contaminated land and waterways and the lasting constraints they impose without sufficient resources. While participants emphasized that “the de-pollution of the river should be a key priority,” they also acknowledged a familiar challenge: “it costs money” and investment these communities may not have.
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