The Kansas City Land Bank has the funding to back up plans to begin transforming blighted, vacant lots into thriving groves of poplar trees.
Kynn Horsley updates the progress on a project in Kansas City to transform "weed-choked vacant inner city land into productive mini-forests of fast-growing trees."
Recently, the Kansas City Land Bank and Chicago-based Fresh Coast Capital announced "an initial $1 million investment for urban land revitalization projects in Kansas City, St. Louis and four other cities," reports Horsley.
The announcement also included details of the first planting in Kansas City, to be located "in the 1900 block of Montgall Avenue, on two acres of land that used to have houses but are now vacant." Horsley adds:
It’s been a dumping ground and is overgrown with brush and poor-quality trees that need to be removed. But it will make an excellent site, Mendez said, for the planting of about 1,000 hybrid poplar trees.
The article includes more details about the financial arrangement between the Kansas City Land Bank and Fresh Coast Capital as well as more information about the potential benefits of these projects for the environment and the people of Kansas City.
FULL STORY: Tree farm will sprout on blighted urban KC land
South Bend Reactivating Vacant Lots
Formerly vacant homes are now vacant lots in South Bend, Indiana. Returning the lots to productive uses presents a new kind of challenge for community groups and local officials.
This Valentine's Day, Celebrate Neighborhood Revitalization With #LoveThatLot
The #LoveThatLot campaign is the Center for Community progress' way of celebrating the hard work of transforming vacant, blighted properties into neighborhood assets and amenities.
A Brief History of Kansas City’s Microtransit
The city’s costly experiment with on-demand transit is yielding to more strategic investment.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research