Detroit Plans To Transform Over 100,000 Vacant Lots Into Parks and Green Spaces

Detroit Future City dropped a report that proposes converting more than 100,000 empty lots into parks, forests, gardens, and green spaces. The blueprint tackles 18 square miles of unused land, a legacy from decades when people left the city in droves.

The Motor City shed 65% of its residents since 1950. That exodus created a staggering number of empty parcels now scattered through neighborhoods.

Each year, the city burns through $1.3 million just cutting grass on these barren parcels. The new blueprint would reroute those dollars toward making the land useful again.

At the heart of this proposal sits a land conservancy. This group would manage the makeover of empty lots into green spaces that could steady neighborhoods and boost public health.

Kimberly Faisson works as Vice President for Thriving, Resilient Neighborhoods at Detroit Future City. Sarah Hayosh runs Land Use and Sustainability there. Both shaped the report called "Saving for the Future." Jer Staes of Daily Detroit interviewed both in a new podcast.

The report examines what green spaces do for communities. Studies within the document show links between parks and better outcomes for people who live nearby.

Detroit Future City posted the complete report online. The document spells out the research and what needs to happen next.