Cities

More than 20 square miles of vacant land lie within Detroit city limits. The legacy of decades of depopulation and disinvestment, the vacant land drains the city’s resources and poses threats to neighborhood safety—but it also holds potential for outdoor recreation, job creation, affordable housing, food security, small businesses, clean air and water, and climate change resiliency.

The Benjamin Franklin Academics Plus School in the Lawncrest neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia is getting a makeover. While the school is located among the bustling shops and restaurants along Rising Sun Avenue, the neighborhood lacks green spaces where neighbors can connect with nature.

The students at George W. Nebinger Elementary School in the Queen Village neighborhood of Philadelphia are getting a new schoolyard. This South Philly school is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, in a dense residential area that lacks adequate green spaces for children to play in.