Does acre upon acre of barren blocks offer a chance to reinvent Detroit?
An interesting question in today’s Detroit Free Press offers a fresh look at a generation old problem of what to do with empty land currently taking up great blocks of space in Detroit. Our Solomon’s Porch coffee house discussion will look this week at one person’s take at a solution. The Free Press article can be found here.
Information for the discussion:
-A new map shows how to tuck the land mass of Manhattan, San Francisco and Boston into Detroit. All three urban areas would fit snuggly within Detroit’s 139 square miles with room to spare.
-Detroit’s population has declined from a high of 2 million in 1950 to under 900,000 in 2008
-the writer’s conclusion: hopes and plans to repopulate the city and redevelop the city’s vacant land are unrealistic, at least for another generation. Some redevelopment deals will succeed, but realistic Detroiter’s should seize the opportunity to become a leaner, greener city for the 21st century.
-When speaking of the best use of vacant land, urban farming is generating the most buzz. What if Detroit could provide a significant amount of fruits and vegetables for its population and the surrounding areas?
-All the mayoral candidates are mum on this topic at the moment. Why do you think that is?
-Did you know that Detroit was once called the city of Elms, a green city known for its parks?
-studies concluded in the fall of 2008 that all of Detroit’s current population needs around 50 square miles for living space. The remaining 89 square miles could be used for other purposes.
Faith issues: How are we called, if we indeed are called, as people of faith, to participate in the revitalization of Detroit’s vacant land? Would advocating for the greening of Detroit be connected to care of Creation? What sort of voice should people have that live outside of Detroit proper but are affected by the issue of vacant property and population decline in our largest city? What other uses of the land make sense to you? How should the church be involved in this process?
Bring ideas to these questions as well as some of your own to our Solomon’s Porch coffee house discussion tomorrow night at First Cup coffee house starting at 7 pm.
An interesting question in today’s Detroit Free Press offers a fresh look at a generation old problem of what to do with empty land currently taking up great blocks of space in Detroit. Our Solomon’s Porch coffee house discussion will look this week at one person’s take at a solution. The Free Press article can be found here.
Information for the discussion:
-A new map shows how to tuck the land mass of Manhattan, San Francisco and Boston into Detroit. All three urban areas would fit snuggly within Detroit’s 139 square miles with room to spare.
-Detroit’s population has declined from a high of 2 million in 1950 to under 900,000 in 2008
-the writer’s conclusion: hopes and plans to repopulate the city and redevelop the city’s vacant land are unrealistic, at least for another generation. Some redevelopment deals will succeed, but realistic Detroiter’s should seize the opportunity to become a leaner, greener city for the 21st century.
-When speaking of the best use of vacant land, urban farming is generating the most buzz. What if Detroit could provide a significant amount of fruits and vegetables for its population and the surrounding areas?
-All the mayoral candidates are mum on this topic at the moment. Why do you think that is?
-Did you know that Detroit was once called the city of Elms, a green city known for its parks?
-studies concluded in the fall of 2008 that all of Detroit’s current population needs around 50 square miles for living space. The remaining 89 square miles could be used for other purposes.
Faith issues: How are we called, if we indeed are called, as people of faith, to participate in the revitalization of Detroit’s vacant land? Would advocating for the greening of Detroit be connected to care of Creation? What sort of voice should people have that live outside of Detroit proper but are affected by the issue of vacant property and population decline in our largest city? What other uses of the land make sense to you? How should the church be involved in this process?
Bring ideas to these questions as well as some of your own to our Solomon’s Porch coffee house discussion tomorrow night at First Cup coffee house starting at 7 pm.
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