Case Study
Greening Vacant Lots: Case Study Series
by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1 Aug 15
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 compiled current practices on vacant lot greening as a resource on issues of stormwater management, construction specifications, job training, property maintenance and funding. This research provides a snapshot of greening practices conducted by a diverse group in 11 spotlight cities including non-profit organizations, municipal offices, land banks and a sewer authority.
Spotlight cities and corresponding organizations include:
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Baltimore, Md. – City of Baltimore, Office of Sustainability.
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Buffalo, N.Y. – Buffalo Sewer Authority.
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Cincinnati, Ohio – Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.
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Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Botanical Gardens.
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Detroit, Mich. – The Greening of Detroit.
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Flint, Mich. – Genesee County Land Bank Authority.
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Grand Rapids, Mich. – City of Grand Rapids, Economic Development Corporation.
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Indianapolis, Ind. – Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.
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Philadelphia, Pa. – Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
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Warren, Ohio – Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership.
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Youngstown, Ohio – Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.
This research supports U.S. EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities’ technical assistance to the Genesee County Land Bank in Flint, Mich., on vacant lot greening strategies. Later this year, individual cities will be speaking about their own greening programs in a series of webinars hosted by EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities. These webinars will provide current practices to other cities seeking to manage their portfolio of vacant properties; a summary report was also published and is available here.