Re-use Cleveland Vacant Land

Cleveland, Ohio - along with many other post-industrial rust-belt cities—has a unique problem: how to cope with a shrinking population. The city has experienced a 56% reduction in overall population since 1950, leaving the city with nearly 20,000 neglected vacant lots. Cleveland has been attempting to “re-use” vacant land in creative ways through municipal “landbanking.” Vacant land re-use projects include small-scale economic development, residential construction, community gardens, public parks, and environmental remediation. The impact of these projects can be significant in terms of improving neighborhood quality of life for residents.

This project involves creating maps to support a grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The city is seeking funding to support its vacant-land re-use strategy and aims to showcase the progress made to date. I will demonstrate whether the strategy of neighborhood revitalization through vacant-land reuse is reaching Cleveland’s most vulnerable (and vacant!) neighborhoods.

I am tasked specifically with evaluating the success of vacant land re-use in relation to the overall social opportunity index and then delving more deeply into projects that could impact public health.