Abstract
a multitude of related questions arise in order to justify the regeneration of brownfield sites in urban areas as a real opportunity for building more sustainable cities. First of all, it is necessary to justify the conservation of brownfield sites. Indeed, the easy solution seems to be to clean up and start from scratch, which many real estate developers, for example, are tempted to do. However, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that it is preferable to keep these “ruins” as they bring many challenges, both historical and identity. Once the importance of keeping brownfield sites in urban areas has been affirmed and the problems that may arise in the development of conversion projects have been resolved, consideration should be given to the huge development potential of these places and how they can thrive. These places of all possibilities make it possible to imagine the installation of new innovative activities, a modern (old) architecture using environmentally-neutral materials, etc. We will therefore see how these ideas emerged and what were the major steps in the regeneration of brownfield sites in urban areas, while illustrating these facts with concrete examples. Secondly, it will also be necessary to highlight the means available to project promoters to develop these locations, highlighting the difficulties they may encounter and the need to change their views on many aspects (local level, governance, etc.) in order to overcome them. Finally, we will look at the contemporary city and the importance of its shift towards sustainability. After talking about the illnesses of this modern city and its environment and the problems it faces, we will discuss a few theories, in particular that of the ‘compact’ or ‘short distance’ city, which could, in part, address it and provide the basis for more sustainable urban development. We will then see the opportunity to rehabilitate brownfield sites in urban areas.