Greening the Rust Belt: A Green Infrastructure Model for Right Sizing America's Shrinking Cities

TLDR

Existing planning models lack a holistic approach to vacant property challenges in shrinking cities, yet these cities can leverage citywide greening to transform vacant sites into community assets. The study outlines strategies for shrinking cities to convert vacant properties into green infrastructure that revitalizes neighborhoods, empowers residents, and stabilizes real estate markets. The authors combine fieldwork, practitioner interviews, and literature review to develop a right‑sizing model that integrates green infrastructure planning, land banking, and collaborative neighborhood planning while addressing financing, displacement, and legal hurdles. The proposed model recommends instituting green infrastructure programs, establishing land banks, and fostering community consensus, and calls for collaborative research, data collection, statewide policy agendas, and a policy network to disseminate innovations. The research was supported by technical assistance grants and contracts from the National Vacant Properties Campaign.

Abstract

Problem: Existing planning and redevelopment models do not offer a holistic approach for addressing the challenges vacant and abandoned properties create in America's older industrial cities, but these shrinking cities possess opportunities to undertake citywide greening strategies that convert such vacant properties to community assets. Purpose: We define strategies shrinking cities can use to convert vacant properties to valuable green infrastructure to revitalize urban environments, empower community residents, and stabilize dysfunctional real estate markets. To do this we examine shrinking cities and their vacant property challenges; identify the benefits of urban greening; explore the policies, obstacles, and promise of a green infrastructure initiative; and discuss vacant property reclamation programs and policies that would form the nucleus of a model green infrastructure right-sizing initiative designed to stabilize the communities with the greatest level of abandonment. Methods: We draw our conclusions based on fieldwork, practitioner interviews, and a review of the current literature. Results and conclusions: We propose a new model to effectively right size shrinking cities by (a) instituting green infrastructure plans and programs, (b) creating land banks to manage the effort, and (c) building community consensus through collaborative neighborhood planning. Our model builds on lessons learned from successful vacant property and urban greening programs, including nonprofit leadership and empowerment of neighborhood residents, land banking, strategic neighborhood planning, targeted revitalization investments, and collaborative planning. It will require planners and policymakers to address challenges such as financing, displacement of local residents, and lack of legal authority. Takeaway for practice: We conclude that academics, practitioners, and policymakers should collaborate to (a) explore alternative urban designs and innovative planning and zoning approaches to right sizing; (b) collect accurate data on the number and costs of vacant properties and potential savings of different right-sizing strategies; (c) craft statewide vacant property policy agendas; and (d) establish a policy network of shrinking cities to share information, collaboratively solve problems, and diffuse policy innovations. Research support: Our field work was supported by technical assistance grants and contracts through the National Vacant Properties Campaign.