A Garden in Motor City

Detroit revitalizes urban farming to replace dying industry.

1 minute read

February 6, 2010, 11:00 AM PST

As a city still haunted by the death of its auto and manufacturing industries, Detroit is looking for any alternatives to help it regrow. The answer to its economic woes, however, may require a little digging into its agricultural past.

Before becoming the bustling Motown, Detroit was a stretch of farmland. Today, it hopes to trade in abandoned buildings for rich soil.

"There's so much land available, and it's begging to be used," said Michael Score, president of the Hantz Farms, which is buying up abandoned sections of the city's 139-square-mile landscape and plans to transform them into a large-scale commercial farm enterprise. "Farming is how Detroit started," Score said, "and farming is how Detroit can be saved."

Can urban gardening put Detroit back on the map?

Thanks to Akshali Gandhi

FULL STORY: Detroit Cultivates Urban Farm Initiative

Sunday, January 3, 2010 in Chicago Tribune

Community / Economic Development Environment Michigan Detroit Urban Farming Urban Agriculture View More

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