Can empty lots in Detroit be community gardens and markets? (Woodland: real estate, 2015)

[homenj]

Detroit has many empty lots. Has the city done anything to create them into other uses? I feel that community gardens could be a great idea however there is one concern I have. Detroit was once an industrial city and so I don't know if some of these empty lots could be contaminated. How could I look into that information and also is there any way I could find out what has been done or what is in the works for these vacant lots?

[Retroit]

I don’t think the city government has done anything about it, but a lot of residents have. Driving through Detroit, I’ve seen them in various places. Often they are on raised beds to prevent roots from reaching contaminated soil.

Homeowners can buy vacant lots next to their property for $100 (https://buildingdetroit.org/sidelots...e=on&location=). I’m not sure how to buy them otherwise, other than through real estate agent.

[OyCrumbler]

I think that and trying to make large parkgardens makes sense. Detroit back at its most crowded was supposedly quite low on greenspace compared to many peers, so perhaps this is the time to plan ahead and reserve such as the city goes back into growth.

Here’s an example of lots being used to grow flowers: https://detroit.curbed.com/2018/9/4/...oits-east-side

[homenj]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

I think that and trying to make large parkgardens makes sense. Detroit back at its most crowded was supposedly quite low on greenspace compared to many peers, so perhaps this is the time to plan ahead and reserve such as the city goes back into growth.

Here’s an example of lots being used to grow flowers: https://detroit.curbed.com/2018/9/4/...oits-east-side

Nice. You mentioned the city is going through growth. Can you mention any neighborhoods or other places that you are seeing growth?

[hhwtm]

I have been to Corktown recently, that area seems to be doing well. There are lots of gardening going on and even farming; I saw a video of hay being cut in Detroit.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by homenj

Nice. You mentioned the city is going through growth. Can you mention any neighborhoods or other places that you are seeing growth?

Downtown, Midtown and Corktown, i.e basically the areas in and around downtown. Many abandoned buildings in that general area have been renovated and occupied and there's even a spate of new construction going on. It's a lot of the outer neighborhoods that are still losing population and in dire straits.

Detroit may have actually just started a gain in population with the ACS estimate having 2017 have 300 more people than what it estimates for 2016. It's unlikely that Detroit will have a greater 2020 official census population count than its 2010 official census count, but if the city really has turned to net growth again, then it'd be because the growth from 2017, and hopefully beyond, were simply just smaller in magnitude than the loss from 2010 to 2016 and that would mean that trajectory for Detroit is looking pretty good right now.

[Retroit]

Related: Hantz Woodlands

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by homenj

Detroit has many empty lots. Has the city done anything to create them into other uses? I feel that community gardens could be a great idea however there is one concern I have. Detroit was once an industrial city and so I don't know if some of these empty lots could be contaminated. How could I look into that information and also is there any way I could find out what has been done or what is in the works for these vacant lots?

There are many community gardens in Detroit. It seems most neighborhoods have at least one. A few include:

Georgia Street Community Collective
Georgia Street Community Collective

Brother Nature Produce (Corktown)
http://brothernatureproduce.com/about.html

Beaverland Farms (Brightmoor)
https://www.beaverlandfarms.com/

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm (the North End)
Oakland Av Urban Farm
Michigan Urban Farming Initiative
https://www.facebook.com/OAFMDetroit/

Oakland Avenue

Oakland Avenue Farmer's Market
MARKET
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakla...80488405645242


Below is a link that shows about 10-12 Farmer's Market in the city limits
Detroit Community Markets

Here is a list of 10 of the more well-known urbans farms from 2015

10 Detroit Urban Farms Rooting Goodness Into The City

[Coldjensens]

It is impractical for the City to try to do that. They would then have to maintain them, insure them, etc. It is simply impractical for even wealthy cities to maintain little pocket parks all over the place.

Part of the problem is where the empty lots are located. Either they are small one o two lot properties mixed into occupied areas, or where they are are large empty areas, no one lives nearby.

To make a park or garden in a former residential of industrial area, you need to remove the in-ground pipes, foundations, fencing, etc. In some instances you may have to address soil contamination. Then you need to fence the area in completely to control theft of vegetables, and/or criminal activity moving in. If it is a sizable park, you will need to put in roads, lights and bathrooms at a minimum. figure to clear and then develop 100 acres into a garden or park, probably $40 million (ish).

Small lots converted to parks/gardens as mentioned create a management nightmare for any city. Maintenance and security are extremely costly because there is no magnitude of scale. While one to three police/security teams can probably patrol a 100 acre park, you would need at least 20 such teams to patrol 200 half acre pocket parks. The same is true for maintenance, mowing, development etc. Even super rich cities tend to eschew pocket parks.

The City also must deal with liability issues. What happens of the food from the garden makes a bunch of people sick? What if the veggies suck up a pocket of lead form some buried paint chips no one knew about? What if someone trips over a missed piece of rebar in the weeds and gets seriously injured? Smaller groups can purchase insurance for their specific project and if the insurance is not enough or does not cover a specific loss, they are shielded by the fact the group has no assets. The City does nto ahve that luxury.

It can work if a charity group elects to set up three or four pocket parks or gardens and maintain them. Usually these groups include outside people and lots of outside funding. I think the City used to provide some funding or partial funding for groups like this with a solid plan and the ability to provide maintenance on an ongoing basis. Not sure whether they still do.

[OyCrumbler]

I wonder how much it costs to move a standard house. I think full blocks as parks and/or urban farms make sense though there are many blocks that have a few scattered houses. It's a shame for a homeowner who actually went through the trouble of maintaining their home in adverse conditions to have that home demolished, but it's also a weird block when there are few homes. In areas where there are many blocks like this, it'd be nice if they can be co-located to create blocks that are full of intact homes and then entire blocks and possibly the streets in between those blocks that are empty can then be converted to larger parkland.