Growing Greener in Detroit: The Greening’s Comprehensive Approach to Neighborhood Revitalization

Presenter: Rebecca Salminen WittPresident, The Greening of Detroit

The Detroit you’ve heard about…

“One of the initial four objects of research in the Shrinking Cities project,

Detroit is the epitome of a city shrunk by suburbanization. Between 1950 and 2003 it lost one million inhabitants - more than 50% of its population – whilst its suburbs saw a population rise of 170% in the same period. Suburbanization exacerbated social disparity. Amongst the inner city population of Detroit, 80% of which is African-American, unemployment stands at 13.8% and 26% live below the poverty line whilst the suburban population is primarily prosperous and white.”

-Shrinking Cities Project 2007

DetroitGeography & Demographics

Detroit River is international border with Canada

139 Square Miles

Infrastructure for 2.2 million residents

2006 Population 800,000

Over 66,00 vacant lots

Major Industry: Automobile Manufacturing in decline

Double Digit Unemployment

Emerging technology and bio science industries need vastly different infrastructure

Sprawling factories are slowly being closed

More vacant land for redevelopment

DetroitIndustry & Economics

Multi-cultural with little interaction between groups

Struggling Education system

Adult illiteracy rates approaching 25%

Limited access to fresh produce

No functional mass transit system

Huge group of invested neighborhood residents

DetroitSocial Factors

The Detroit you haven’t seen yet…

Abundant opportunity for innovation to take root.

Emerging agricultural economy.

Community based land use policy is possible.

Engaged and enthusiastic residents are stepping up to generate ideas and action.

The Greening of Detroit’s mission is to guide and inspire the creation of a ‘greener’ Detroit through planting and educational programs, environmental advocacy, and by developing community capacity.

Spring Planting 2004

How do we get it done in Detroit?

Brewer Street Tree Planting, Fall 2004

Our Tools for Transformation:

Tested programming designed to address the broad spectrum of social and environmental need in each target neighborhood.

Willingness to lead collaboration.

Implementation by a small professional staff directing large groups of volunteers from throughout the region and green industries apprentices from within the neighborhoods.

Staff: 14 full time employees + 50 part-time temporary maintenance and planting corps.

2000-4000 Volunteers per year

Watering at Brewer,2005

Programming in 4 areas of focus:

Planting, Education, Technical Assistance and AdvocacyCommunity Planning

Neighborhood Education and Technical Assistance Programs

Forest Restoration and Community Tree Planting Programs

Vacant Space Reclamation

Production Greenspace

Green Industry Workforce Development Program

Community Planning

Input creates Buy In.

Green Space and Canopy Inventory

Neighborhood Green Plan

Neighborhood Education Programs

Get Out and Green! Workshop,October 2005

If we do not teach our people that they deserve a clean, green neighborhood and show them that they have both the opportunity and the ability to make a difference, any success we see now can not last.

Green Heroes, after school lesson, 2004

Place-based education programs for children teach about the ecosystem using their own neighborhoods as a model.

Youth Environmental Education Programs

TreeKeepers Kids

Camp Greening

Adopt-a-School Planting Program

Containerized Planting Demo, 2005

Get Out and Green!

Family Landscape Program

Urban Garden Education Series

Urban Roots: Community Garden Organizing Program

Lobbying for sound development policy to make greenspace a recognized priority at the municipal government level.

Adult Education and Technical Assistance

Adult programs are designed to provide the skills to plan, plant and maintain gardens and green space.

Tree Planting Program

Community Planting Program

Restoration Plantings

Parks and School Yards

Ash Replacement on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Detroit

50-100 trees per planting

Volunteer planted: 100-200 volunteers per planting

2-3 plantings per weekend

50-60 plantings per year

Community Planting Program

Forest Restoration

ProgramEmerald Ash Borer Response

Major thoroughfares

200-300 trees planted at a time

City designates planting locations

Greening coordinates plantings with paid Planting Corps

>1 Park per Neighborhood

100% Neighborhood School Participation

10-20 trees per project

Site input from Neighborhood Green Plan, Rec Department and Detroit Public School Partners

Greening coordinates plantings with volunteers and schoolkids

Parks and Schoolyards

VACANT SPACE RECLAMATION

Site Work: Phase I: Poor -> AverageRemove all Litter and DebrisRemove fence remnantsRecycle tires/metalTrim Fence LinePrune treesGrind stumpsMow Remove Hazard TreesEdge Sidewalks

Phase II Average -> AdequatePlan for Future UseFencing/BollardsClean/Mow/Edge

Phase III Adequate -> ExcellentClean/Mow/EdgeSignature/Production Plantings

Planting, May 1, 2004

Vacant Lot Reclamation

Dangerous: $4000 Lot Clearance required, contracted service.

Poor: $2525 Tires, debris, illegal dumping, dead trees and brush, covering the lot.

Average: $1450 Overgrown fencelines, poorly trimmed trees, litter, dumping. Adequate: $375 Litter pick up, fenceline

work and mowing.

Poor Average Acceptable

Employment10 people

@$12.50/hr for 8hrs. = $1000

$1000 $500 $125

Tree Removal $1000 $500 0

Brush Clearance Cleanup Corps Cleanup Corps Cleanup Corps

Cleanup Cleanup Corps Cleanup Corps Cleanup Corps

Dumpsters @ $200 each

$400 $400 $200

Herbicide $125 $50 $50

TOTAL $2525 $1450 $375

Cost Estimates are based upon averages across the full inventory of vacant lots.

Vacant Space Reclamation: 2007 Cost Estimates

Wildflowers and Window-paning: New Ideas for mitigating the maintenance burden….

Community Mowing Program

Workforce Training Opportunity

Production Greenspace

Production Projects: Neighborhood Tree

Nurseries, Community Gardens and Organic

Farms

Mrs. Smith’s side lot garden, August 2005

Vast tracts of vacant space present opportunities to address other social needs. In this case the need for many low cost trees and the need for convenient access to healthy, affordable produce as well as the need for jobs and workforce training.

Production Projects: Neighborhood Nurseries

Solution: How to use neighborhood brownfields productively

Solution: How to obtain ample supplies of quality trees at low cost

Located on Unusable vacant lots adjacent to a workforce

Produce 27,600 trees for planting in the city in 5 years.

Out planted in the neighborhood where the nursery was located

Nurseries• Seedlings grown in schools,

transplanted to Nurseries

• Neighborhood Nurseries installed on vacant lots:

– Produce trees for neighborhood– Cleanup Corps Prep– Planting Corps/Volunteer

Planted– Cared for by residents and

Nursery Corps– 3-5 year use of vacant space– Feed into the Greening Nursery

Program

• Greening to re-open City of Detroit Nursery for production

• Trees from schools and Nurseries transplanted to Detroit Nursery for “finishing”

• Detroit Nursery Trees available for parks and streets throughout City

Production Projects:Community Gardens & Organic Farms

Uncontaminated vacant lots are farmed to produce food for the neighborhood

Nearly 400 gardens will produce more than 100 tons of food in 2007.

The Greening’s Garden Resource Program Collaborative provides residents with training, supplies, equipment, plant materials and additional volunteers for maintaining the gardens to production.

Neighborhood Farmers Markets provide economic incentives for growing and increased access to produce for residents

Hope Takes Root Community Garden and Neighborhood Tree Nursery, Wabash and Temple, Detroit MI

Pocket Parks, Schoolyards, Residences, and Gardens

Signature plantings are installed along vacant tracts of land encouraging future development and securing the property until development occurs.

Vacant Lots are transformed into pocket parks

School yards are transformed with trees and gardens

Vacant lots are farmed to produce food for the neighborhood

The Family Landscape and Get out and Green programs will provide residents with training and plant materials to beautify their own property and adjacent vacant spaces

Green Industry Workforce Development Programs

•Resident Adults and Youth

•Paid Workforce–CleanUp Corps – vacant lot clean up and mowing

–Planting Corps – Restoration Plantings

–Nursery Corps – Advanced training in nursery trade

–Green Corps Youth Employment Program – Summer maintenance

•Entrepreneurial Training

Sustainability

We are only interested in LASTING change

Can be done

Community Buy-In Essential:

Volunteer Kickoff

Neighborhood workforce

Community organizing prior to planting, infrastructure

Return visits: ongoing maintenance

Neighborhood ROI: Stable ecosystem, employment opportunities, pocket parks, increased food security (community gardens/farms)

Side lot acquisitions

2839 Wabash before & After, 2003-2007

Challenges along the Path

Ahead• Opening Urban

Eyes: Getting residents to see vacant space as an asset.

• Maintaining an independent working relationship with the City of Detroit

• Effecting change at a policy level

• Sustaining Interest from Neighborhood Volunteers

Questions?

www.greeningofdetroit.com

1418 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, USA 48216

www.greeningofdetroit.com

Planted 55,000 trees Reclaimed over 3500 vacant lots

Transformed more than 1155 city blocks Greened 56 recreation play fields

Beautified 14 apartment complexes, 19 boulevards, 8 police precincts and 61 city parks

Created 34 school yard habitatsEstablished 11 seedling nurseries and 4 orchards

Formed the Garden Resource Program Collaborative, servicing nearly 400 community and family vegetable gardens each year.

Est. 1989…