Vacancy and Dilapidation Part 2: What can we do?

Philadelphia is a rich Mecca of community development corporations (CDC) and community organizations, some which have placed a great deal of effort into transforming vacant lots.  One such CDC is New Kensington CDC, which was featured at this year’s annual Flower Show.  "From Blight to Blossom" is the name of the exhibit, and its conception was the result of a partnership between the New Kensington CDC and Philadelphia's Office of Housing and Community Development. Its intention, according to a press release describing the project, is to "tell the story of an urban side-yard transformed from a vacant lot into a garden" (http://www.flyingkitemedia.com/devnews/blossom0308.aspx).   Instead of allowing blight to fester in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, New Kensington has viewed vacant lots and abandoned homes as areas of potential beauty.  

What can be done with vacant lots?  One potential use of such space is to create new affordable housing sites, the foundation upon which Habitat for Humanity has built their organization.  Other possibilities include using the spaces for parks, community gardens, recreational centers, and even centers of community art.  Some projects such as New Kensington Vacant Land Management Program and Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s Community-Based Vacant Land Maintenance Program have dedicated their efforts towards cleaning and creating parks and community gardens throughout the city.   While the end result is transforming space, the Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s project partners with nine community organizations, including Ready, Willing & Able and SELF, Inc. to employ individuals making the transition back to work after experiencing drug addiction and homelessness.  The Mural Arts Restorative Justice program has also helped with these efforts by employing ex-offenders in cleaning and transforming vacant lots.  The great aspect of these projects is people are given the opportunity to transform themselves through the process of transforming the land.

The Village for the Arts and Humanities is another organization that has transformed a great deal of space in North Philadelphia.  On their campus alone, they’ve transformed over 150 vacant lots into gardens, green spaces housing collections of community art and a two acre farm.  In this particular community, the Village for the arts and Humanities has worked organically by recruiting the help of community residents.  As the Wallace Foundation states: “With a phantasmagoria of mosaic sculptures, murals and gardens glimmering with giant angels and creatures no zoo has ever seen, the Village offers vibrant testimony to the role that art can play in bringing a desolate urban landscape back to life and engaging youth and families in the arts.”  As a result, neighbors are given the opportunity to connect and build relationships, while working together towards a common goal.  In addition, the two acre farm has given the community access to fresh and healthy food options.  

 The Southwest Community Development Corporation also provides a community beautification project that includes a community garden.  One of the 2011 graduates from the MA in Urban Studies, Regina Broomell-Young, assisted the Southwest Community Garden by facilitating research investigating is it was needed in the community: Her researched concluded that the garden was absolutely needed in the community for both health and community organizing purposes.  

While the potential for transformation is available to each of Philadelphia’s 40,000 vacant and abandoned properties, it is a large endeavor from start to finish.  Before starting, there is often the task of acquiring land or permission from owners, which makes the process a laborious one, especially in the cases of those lots privately owned.  For those ready and able for the task, the Philadelphia Horticultural Society has developed a guide entitled Reclaiming Vacant Lots: A Philadelphia Green guide. This guide not own provides practical tips on gardening and landscaping but also highlights steps for the project from beginning to finish.

Steps include:

1. Resolving Ownership Issues
2. Mapping Community Resources
3. Assessing Site Conditions
4. Developing a Site Plan
5. Outlining a Maintenance Strategy
6. Cleaning the Site
7. Implementing Site Improvements
8. Performing Ongoing Maintenance

From start to finish, there is much to be accomplished in terms of physical space, but let’s expand our view and see the potential in also lives of community members.  While funding has been cut back for many of the above mentioned projects, hopefully they will be able to endure and continue to impact this generation as well as many to come.   

Vacancy and Dilapidation: Part 1

Throughout the city of Philadelphia, as with many east coast cities, there is a large problem with vacant lots and dilapidated buildings.   One of my first times in Philadelphia was to do a walk through of a neighborhood just east of Center City called Point Breeze.   When you are walking the streets of Point Breeze, you can literally look down any road to the West and see a distinct line dividing the glamor of Center City’s high rises and condominiums from Point Breeze’s old row homes mingled with corner stores and vacant lots.   

The distinct lines of urban neighborhoods have always fascinated me, because there are two worlds bordering each other but few will pass between the two.  

A 2010 article in Philadelphia Weekly reports that there were about 40,000 vacant lots spread throughout the city (Kase, 2010).  There are many problems associated with vacant and abandon properties including declining property values in surrounding communities, loss of money to the city in unpaid taxes, neighborhood safety, illegal dumping, and overall neighborhood blight. 

What has caused all of these vacancies?  Some contributors have been the change from an industrial to more technologically driven society.   Once more mechanic methods of industry and practices such as outsourcing took over, bustling centers of business became haunts, reminding many of “what used to be.” Also, rising costs of home ownership, declining property values, and rising foreclosure rates have contributed to this problem.  As more people are unable to keep up with the rising costs of energy, taxes, insurance and repair, they are either forced out or abandon ship.  Of the 40,000, about 12,000 properties are reported as being public owned, mostly as the result of foreclosure, I’d assume (Kase, 2010).  Combine all these industrial and economic changes, and you are left with a literal mess in cities like Philadelphia.

Shot of vacant lot in Lucas' article

One woman reported to a Philly.com reporter that she has been living next to a condemned building for four years; the property has an overgrown back yard with a hole into the vacant home, which draws in drug users, children playing, and vermin like rats and roaches (Lucas, 2011).  Needless to say this is both a public health and safety hazard for community members, especially children.  Unfortunately, lots such as these contribute to a lack of city pride across Philadelphia, and Lucas’ article goes on to quote a resident that says neighbors and city agencies, “Just don’t care” (Lucas, 2011).   The interesting question is, “Do they not care, or have they given up hope?”   It is easy to understand why they feel hopeless, when they look around at land forgotten and abused. 

Sources: 

 Lucas, Phillip. "Marquis of Debris: They're Sick of These Dumps." Featured Articles from Philly.com. Philly.com, 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. <http://articles.philly.com/2011-08-18/news/29900900_1_trash-pit-neighbors-drug-addicts>.

Kase, Aaron. "The Ugly Truth About Philly's Vacant Lots | News and Opinion | Philadelphia Weekly." Philadelphia Weekly | Local News, Reviews, Multimedia, Music, Real Estate and More. Philadelphia Weekly, 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. <http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/The-Ugly-Truth-About-Phillys-Vacant-Lots.html>.