Vacant Lot Program
- • Transforming vacant lots into valuable resources
The Greening of Detroit has inspired its volunteers and community partners to transform miles of public and private open space -- including some of Detroit’s 60,000 vacant lots -- into usable, productive resources. We’ve helped our planting partners to create hundreds of vegetable gardens and numerous perennial gardens and neighborhood tree nurseries throughout the city. These production greenspaces produce hundreds of trees and tons of produce for use in Detroit’s neighborhood each year.
Vacant lots reclaimed for The Greening’s Neighborhood Nursery program provide the community with a cost-effective way to access affordable trees to revitalize their neighborhoods. For each neighborhood nursery, we clean the lot, then build berms, spread mulch and plant trees. We install landscape plants, fencing and signage to improve the appearance of the lot and create a signature look, helping to reduce vandalism. The nurseries are initially planted with small tree stock that is allowed to grow for 3-5 years while it is cared for by the community and The Greening’s Green Corps. These trees are eventually transplanted into the community, ensuring continued access to affordable trees for on-going plantings in the area’s neighborhoods.