The Detroit Free Press offers clear analysis of the multiple ongoing efforts in Detroit to improve vacant and blighted properties and return them to the benefit of the city's neighborhoods and residents.
John Gallagher reports on Detroit's ongoing efforts to recreate neighborhoods beset by massive numbers of vacant and blighted properties.
Gallagher identifies Mayor Mike Duggan as the driver of the actions taken by the Detroit Land Bank Authority, and why:
"The essence of Mayor Mike Duggan's policy on Detroit's vacant land is to put as much of it as he can in the hands of residents. Pushed to declare his preferences for the city's tens of thousands of vacant lots, Duggan has repeatedly deferred to the neighborhoods themselves to decide new uses."
Gallagher offers the vital statistics on the Detroit Land Bank's activities: its portfolios have swelled from a few hundred to about 90,000 in the space of just over a year. One in four properties in the city are now working through the land bank's program. Also of note is a recently announced program to lease vacant lots to residents for $25 a year per lot. One condition of the lease program, according to Gallagher: "A local block club would have to bless the intended use as compatible with neighborhood norms."
The article goes on to list a few of the innovations included in the Detroit Future City strategic plan, including incentives for blue infrastructure, urban reforestation, distributed energy production, and urban agriculture.
FULL STORY: What's next for Detroit's vacant lots and who decides?

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City
The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.
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