Builders and planners are gathering in Detroit to discuss funding options for brownfield redevelopment and learn from region's experience transforming these community eyesores.
"Stanley Rich remembers when ash fell from the sky like snow, coating his car and house with gray powder.
The trash incinerator that spewed ash in Clinton Township was shut down in 1999. All that's left are a vacant field and questions about what chemicals may lurk beneath the surface.
"It was ugly," said Rich, 80. "I would love to see something go in there."
Rich and his neighbors near Quinn Road may get their wishes as a nonprofit group aims to turn the property into affordable housing for seniors and grandparents raising grandchildren. A golf course also is planned.
The site is among hundreds of parcels, built upon in the distant past and often left polluted, called brownfields. These properties are found throughout metro Detroit, but they are being cleaned up and put back into productive use thanks, in part, to a variety of tax credits, government grants and other aid aimed at revitalizing older urban areas."
FULL STORY: Brownfields of dreams
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie