Dec 15 2008
Detroit Vacant Land = 40 sqr. Miles
I am fascinated by the process by which unusable places are restored to productivity. I am especially interested in places with a heavy human imprint that are restored to natural or wilderness quality. Here are two examples:
1) Cities like Chicago were largely built using wood from the forests of Wisconsin and Michigan. But sustainable forestry was an afterthought in the 1800s. The result was that most of Michigan became a vast, treeless wasteland. Some very smart individuals eventually implemented a plant to restore the forests. And we are only now seeing the ultimate fruits of that vision with the return of top-of-the foodchain animals like bear, wolves and - dare I say it - a few cougars. Of course, this renewed forest provides jobs in tourism and wood products.
2) Much of the land between Jackson and Ann Arbor is swampy, hilly and sandy. Historically, sections of this landscape were unprofitable to farm. During the Great Depression, many farmers were driven from these lands. Federal and state programs assembled these mostly-tax-reverted properties into demonstration projects. Members of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Detroit News Hiking Clubs, among others, replanted the areas. The effort created the Waterloo and Pinckney State Recreation Areas - 30,000+ acres of great hiking, fishing and boating. Areas like Chelsea, Dexter and Stockbridge have become very desireable places to live.
So, a story in today’s Detroit Free Press interested me. It cited University of Detroit-Mercy Professor Dan Pitera. Pitera created a map that showed how Manhattan, Boston and San Francisco can all fit visually within the borders of the City of Detroit. Of Detroit’s 139 square miles, 40 square miles are now vacant land.
The Free Press article suggests that the city could become home to large-scale farming, reforestation efforts and massive community gardening programs. Of course, these areas could also be rebuilt if economic demand picks up.
So, I think that it is important when considering sites like Monroe’s soon-to-be-defunct Ford plant or the vast acreage of vacant Detroit land that one go for a hike at Pinckney State Recreation Area or take drive through the forests of the UP. Great things can happen with a long-term vision, persistence and concern for one’s community.
Here’s the original Free Press link: