NIMBYs, but for Rats
The Ferndale Rat Patrol is a Facebook group of 600 members, "working to rid their metro Detroit communities of rats without the use of poisons," according to Dargay. But it's far from the only group in the Detroit metropolitan area dedicated to the cause. There's also the Royal Oak Rats and the Rat Problem in Garden City.
The Royal Oak Rats will be hosting a free workshop in February on the subjects of "trapping, using raptors to control rats, owl houses, tools to help fight rat infestation, feeding birds without attracting rats, rat facts and the downside of using poisons." The Ferndale Rat Patrol hands out trophies—golden rat traps—to the most successful rat hunters in their group.
Dargay provides more reporting on the methods employed by each of these groups, and some of the bureaucratic context from which these collective actions have emerged. It's worth noting that Detroit is far from the "rattiest" city in the country. A 2017 list of the rattiest cities in the country placed Detroit at number seven.
Topics
- Home Builders Aren't Building the Smaller Homes the Market Wants
- Recycling Is Cancelled
- Study: Density Can Impede Growth
- Seattle Gives Final Approval to 27 Upzones
- The Case for Fourplexes in Portland
- Many Norms, Few Plans: Urban Rubble Clearance in the Cities of the Global South
- Chinese Cities Build Big Despite Shedding Residents
- Scrutiny for HUD Secretary Ben Carson's Schedule
- Santa Monica Pedestrian Mall Wants People to Hang Out
- Where a Freeway Plan Failed, a Development Opportunity Rises
- Vital Lessons From the Midwest Bomb Cyclone and Flooding of 2019
- Bipartisan Support for Federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Bill
- Washington State Needs Funding to Address Culvert Issue
- Jeep Plant Isn't Getting a Warm Reception From Detroit Residents
- The Cuyahoga River Once Caught Fire, Now its Fish Are Safe to Eat
- The Resilience of Culture
- A New Look at Causes and Effects of Pollution, From Production to Consumption
- At World Oil Conference, No One Questioned Climate Change Science
- Ottawa Light Rail On Track to Expand
- New Dog Park a First for Downtown Phoenix
