The New Ecology of Vacancy: Rethinking Land Use in Shrinking Cities

Abstract

Urban environments are in continual transition. Yet, as many cities continue to grow and develop in ways deemed typical or standard, these transitions can be difficult to acknowledge. Narratives of continued growth and permanence become accepted and expected while the understanding of urban dynamics becomes lost. In many parts of the world, the shrinking cities phenomenon has given rise to a new awareness of urban transition that provides a laboratory of new conditions at the intersection of urbanism and ecology. With property vacancy rates easily exceeding 50% in certain locations, cities in the American Rust Belt look more like successional woodlands than bustling metropolises, yet these cities still contain significant numbers of urban residents. A central question that arises from this phenomenon is: how can vacant land, through the provision of ecosystem services, become a resource as opposed to a liability? This paper looks to recent studies in urban ecology as a lens for understanding the land use potential of shrinking cities, while discussing unconventional solutions for sustainable development of urban land.

Abandonment, Ecological Assembly and Public Health Risks in Counter-Urbanizing Cities

“…Some cities have taken steps to manage runoff and improve drainage. For example "off-lining" runoff with greenspace (i.e., green infrastructure) has been pursued to increase storm water retention and decrease overflow events [6]. Socioeconomic constraints can, however, hinder improvement and implementation of innovative management strategies, especially in communities experiencing a declining tax base due to population loss, as in St. Bernard Parish (LA, US) and Flint (MI, US) [25].…”

“…For example, there are more than 70 shrinking cities in Europe, and a comparable number (92) of counter-urbanizing cities are located in the United States (US) [4,5]. Although most cities encompass some vacant land and properties due to turnover of homeownership, counter-urbanizing cities exhibit much higher rates of abandonment and vacancy [6]. According to the 2010 Census, US cities with declining populations had a notably higher percentage of vacant properties than those experiencing population growth ( Figure 1) [7].…”

“…Even features held in common may exhibit distinct qualities. "Green" landscape elements are often highly valued in urbanizing areas, for example, but are not always beneficial to remaining residents in counter-urbanizing areas ( Figure 2) [1,2,6,26]. Increases in greenspace due to abandonment can yield an array of ecosystem disservices and hazards.…”

“…Despite increasing interest in urban resilience and counter-urbanization [1,6], the socioecology of population de-concentration and abandonment is not well understood [10]. In particular, little is known about the conditions that govern communicable disease risk as counter-urbanization unfolds [31].…”

The Public Value of Urban Vacant Land: Social Responses and Ecological Value

“…As a result, it is often automatically viewed as a problem in urban areas [1]. However, vacant land may instead be viewed as valuable urban landscape that provides community benefits and/or opportunities for transformation via community redevelopment, as well as being a potential source of ecosystem services that support the health and well-being of local people [4,5]. Re-imagining urban vacant land is critical to our disciplinary and professional commitment to traditional urban land use and we need to be more open to alternative ways to "reuse wasted land" in urban areas.…”