October 5, 2015
Detroit has about 23 square miles of vacant land, and as city officials prepare to demolish more blighted homes each month, that number could reach as high as 30 square miles in coming years.
Now, there a tool to help Detroiters transform vacant land from neighborhood liabilities to landscaped assets.
On Monday, Detroit Future City is releasing its “Field Guide to Working With Lots,” a print and online tool that brings Detroiters through step-by-step instructions on how to transform vacant lots in their neighborhood. The field guide website is at http://dfc-lots.com/.
The user-friendly tool was developed by the Detroit Future City Implementation Office and a range of partners to help guide efforts to transform the vacant lots into a variety of landscapes. The guide offers step-by-step instructions, guidance and resources. DFC is a program of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.
The lot designs — all 34 of them — were developed specifically for Detroit’s land conditions and with input from Detroiters, DFC officials said. They range from a clay soil meadow to dumping preventer to basement rain garden. Each design makes recommendations for the level of experience, upkeep and stormwater needed, as well as the cost.
Online tool to help Detroiters transform vacant lots
Jennifer Chambers. October 4, 2015. The Detroit News