Faced with an estimated 24 square miles of vacant land, Detroit is turning its empty lots into test beds of urban innovation.
Detroit is turning to non-profit organizations in a search for creative solutions to the city’s vacant lots, reports John Gallagher in the Detroit Free Press. One of those solutions has seen the introduction of 85,000 earthworms onto vacant lots with the goal of loosening the soil to allow rainwater to seep into the soil, thereby avoiding runoff into the city’s sewer system, and in turn reducing pressure on the overburdened infrastructure. The Detroit Future City Implementation Office has released a 72-page Field Guide, available in print or online, to help local innovators plan for the reuse of vacant lots across the city.
“Erin Kelly, the head of the Detroit Future City land use team, said the guide is more than a simple pattern book with examples of vacant-lot ideas, such as urban gardens or parking lots. Rather, it's meant to help residents assess the condition of vacant lots in their district and help residents understand how much time, money, and expertise will be needed for each of the suggested treatments.”
The DFC Office has printed 2,000 copies of the handbook, or the handbook can be accessed online at dfc-lots.com.
FULL STORY: How 85,000 worms are helping vacant Detroit lots
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research