Overview

The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR or "see clear") is the only national non-profit organization pioneering infill and brownfield redevelopment to promote human and environmental health and economic revitalization. Our mission is to enable communities to develop sustainably and equitably through land recycling---restoring underutilized sites to productive use. Our particular expertise is remediating and redeveloping environmentally-distressed properties, commonly called "brownfields". Land recycling is a critical alternative to traditional sprawl development. By directing development to built-up areas, we can preserve open space and protect natural resources, lessen our dependency on automobiles, and reduce the carbon footprint of development. Because abandoned properties often lie within economically-distressed areas, land recycling catalyzes critical economic investment and creates jobs, affordable housing, and other amenities in historically under-served communities. Through training and technical assistance CCLR offers communities the tools they need to turn blighted properties into opportunities. CCLR engages stakeholders from all sectors in creative partnerships that promote collaboration and innovation in sustainable development. CCLR was founded in 1996 as a project of The Trust for Public Land with seed funding from The James Irvine Foundation. CCLR became an independent 501(c)(3) organization in 1999.