Transforming Vacant Lots into Public Parks

Environmental justice advocates are working to convince Milwaukee city leaders to place a higher priority on open space in densely populated urban neighborhoods. As one local business leader states, "It's claustrophobic to be in a city surrounded by skyscrapers. Any urban neighborhood that has maintained its value will have significant green space. To not do it is to create the conditions that drove people out of the cities in the first place." One Milwaukee neighborhood is cited as currently comprising less than 2% open space, in comparison with a 10% countywide land average.