TIF for that: brownfield redevelopment financing in North America and Calgary's Rivers District

摘要

This article examines financing tools to facilitate urban brownfield neighbourhood remediation and redevelopment, with a focus on Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Through an analysis of TIF and alternative schemes for brownfield remediation and redevelopment in both the USA and Canada, the article leads to an evaluation of Alberta's Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) and its application in Calgary's Rivers District. The article argues that TIF via the Alberta CRL, shaped by lessons learned in other jurisdictions, has been an effective instrument to jumpstart redevelopment in the Rivers District relative to other potential schemes, past attempts, and an absence of significant government involvement altogether.