nature is taking back the land...in the rust belt

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Investors see farms as way to grow Detroit

Acres of vacant land are eyed for urban agriculture under an ambitious plan that aims to turn the struggling Rust Belt city into a green mecca.....

excerpted from:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-detroit-farms27-2009dec27,0,7336715.story

12/27/2009

Large gardens and small farms -- usually 10 acres or less -- have cropped up in thriving cities such as Berkeley, where land is tough to come by, and struggling Rust Belt communities such as Flint, Mich., which hopes to encourage green space development and residents to eat locally grown foods....

But local officials put the number far higher: Mayor Dave Bing recently said that nearly half of the city's workers are either unemployed or underemployed. These officials support the effort to redevelop the estimated one-third of Detroit's 376,000 parcels that are either vacant or abandoned.

And in a city where there are no major grocery store chains, and more than three-fourths of the residents buy their food at convenience stores or gas stations, the idea of having easy access to fresh produce is appealing...