Vacant Lots in Detroit
The pictures above are abandoned homes, photographed by Kevin Bauman for his 100 Abandoned Houses project. What is the striking about the images above is the lack of surroundings. These are not sprawling, typical large-lot homes with large porches, detached garages, and winding walkway entrances - that is, they are not meant to be surrounded by open land. As is evident in the background buildings of two of the images, these homes still exist in the context of the city.
Vacant lots are what Detroit is known for today, but the phenomenon began much earlier in history.
The city's problem with vacant lots began with urban renewal in the 1960s when many Detroit neighborhoods were decimated for public projects that primarily included highways and parks. Though the areas chosen for renewal were picked on the basis of housing deterioration, they also represented some of the most vibrant, working class communities (Woodford 2001, 169). This includes mostly the ethnic neighborhoods described here: Corktown, Poletown, Black Bottom, Paradise Valley, and others. While some 1,500 acres were cleared for renewal, the bureaucratic nature of urban renewal meant it was a long time before any building occurred, and due to the unpopular nature of the urban renewal programs, not all of it was seen through to fruition (Ibird 170). Thus it can be speculated that the vacant land phenomenon began in the 1960s and has only gotten worse since. There is another large tract of land that sits vacant - the area directly east of the City of Hamtramck is where the Coleman A. Young International Airport is located. |
Percent Vacant Residential Lots (2010). Data Driven Detroit. http://datadrivendetroit.org |
In the mid 1990s, Detroit embarked on a plan to improve the safety buffer surrounding the airport and expand its operations. However, funding needs were not met, and an 18-month project has dragged on for over 13 years (Macdonald 2007). Some of the properties needed for the expansion were acquired, and now that land lays vacant and abandoned, while neighbors are left in a state of limbo. This kind of inactivity further breeds uncertainty, disinvestment, and the desire to flee the half-dead neighborhood.
These well-intentioned, but poorly executed projects have been to the Detriment of the city's health. However, they now leave room for creativity in reuse and redesign, as Detroit recognizes conventional problem solving will not save Detroit. Urban agriculture and pocket parks have been among the ideas heavily invested in to fill the void in the city.
Princess Motor Car Co (1910s), Sanborn Maps.http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/43057.html | The Prevalence of Single-Family HomesBecause Detroit grew up around the same time as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and other Rust Belt cities, it could be expected that Detroit would have a housing stock similar to those cities based on available materials, technology, and popular architectural style. However, Detroit's housing is characterized by detached, single-family homes. This likely began after the fire of 1805, when Augustus Woodward put into effect his own plan for the city. His plan called for lot sizes of no less than 5,000 square feet (Woodford 2001, 39), and this housing pattern was fairly constant. In the early years of the automotive industry, single-family homes surrounded car factories, and continued to be the dwelling of choice even throughout the Great Depression.In the 1930s, at least 50% of new dwellings built were single family, and in 1936, 84% of new dwellings were single family homes. (Ratcliff 1939, 18) Since single-family homes may have fewer adaptive reuse capabilities, and are by their nature low density, they have likely contributed to the vacant lot character of Detroit today. |
