ANN ARBOR—A report from the University of Michigan outlines a plan to care for vacant property in economically hard-hit Genesee County and how other communities across the state can implement similar approaches.

The report details how county leaders can use sound environmental planning to make that section of the state a more attractive place to live and do business. The Genesee County Land Bank Authority (GCLBA) already owns nearly 4,000 vacant lots or unoccupied buildings just in the City of Flint, the county seat. That number is expected to grow as more home foreclosures occur.

Dan Kildee, Genesee County treasurer and GCLBA chair, said he looks forward to testing the report’s alternative property maintenance strategies.

“As the owner of more than 4,000 tax-foreclosed properties, the Genesee County Land Bank plays an active role in improving neighborhoods by renovating, renting, developing, selling and encouraging community-based care, gardening and cleanup of abandoned properties,” Kildee said.

“The low-cost property maintenance strategies proposed in this report have the potential to further the reach of the Land Bank,” he said. “Properties that are sitting idle can be transformed into community assets that will improve the appearance of neighborhoods while increasing the economic and environmental value of the land over time.”

The report is titled “Vacant Land as a Natural Asset.” The research behind it was headed by Joan Iverson Nassauer, a professor of landscape architecture at U-M’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. Graduate students Rebekah VanWieren, Zhifang Wang and Danielle Kahn assisted Nassauer.

From their detailed academic study, a 26-page color booklet has just been produced: “Vacant Property Now and Tomorrow, Building Enduring Values with Natural Assets.” The booklet contains illustrations and real-life examples in Flint that offer creative ways of turning vacant property into sources of community pride while also minimizing maintenance costs. The booklet is free from the Michigan Sea Grant online bookstore.

“The community-design and property-management concepts that we developed for Flint and Genesee County apply to many communities in Michigan and across the country where the economy or weather events have led to massive property vacancies and dilapidated infrastructure,” said Nassauer, an expert on ecological design of metropolitan landscapes.

“Sound science that invites community engagement is the basis for our approach,” she said. “It protects natural resources—especially vulnerable water resources and habitats—for the future at the same time as it encourages community care now.”

The report, funded in part by the GCLBA, goes beyond ideas on how frequently to mow certain types of properties. Through a scientific analysis of current land uses and natural land characteristics, the study offers concrete steps that encourage long-term economic recovery, increase community stewardship and protect natural assets. For example, one way to minimize vacant property maintenance costs is by linking vacant and abandoned properties to their natural resource characteristics and their long-term ecological design development potential.

Using computerized maps of vacant county properties, the U-M Landscape Ecology Perception and Design Laboratory headed by Nassauer analyzed vacancies in relationship to environmental flows through hydrologic systems, habitats and transportation, as well as sewer and water infrastructure. Then vacancies were analyzed to recognize community expectations for maintenance of different types of landscapes. This analysis identified where to use different property maintenance approaches to ensure that neighborhoods look well-kept while also protecting water resources and habitats.

The report also identified longer-term opportunities for Genesee County to be highly attractive to new residents through the protection of environmental amenities such as wooded hills, streams, lakes and parks, and by using ecological design principles for future development.

These environmentally sensitive approaches to development are considered to be a key to Michigan’s economic recovery. Attractive places to live are places where residents take pride in their neighborhood and enjoy nature nearby, Nassauer said.

The research and publication was supported by the Genesee County Land Bank Authority, the Genesee Institute, the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, Michigan Sea Grant, The C.S. Mott Foundation, the Ruth Mott Foundation and Surdna Foundation.

Related Links:

• Joan Nassauer Lab
• Michigan Sea Grant online bookstore