Detroit's new ecology

Here is yet another interesting use for vacant sites in Detroit: Joan Nassauer is turning old basements into bioretention gardens. One report on the project suggested that it is about more than just stormwater:

"I do think these projects have the ability to inspire hope," Mobley said. "And they reinforce a message to residents: We haven't forgotten about you. You're important. You matter."

How bad can it get?

We just finished a semester talking about how the built environment can shape the health of those who live within it. Serious evidence of that is presented in this story from the Washington Post which says arecent study found, "The proportion of infants and children with above-average levels of lead in their blood has nearly doubled since the city switched from the Detroit water system to using the Flint River as its water source, in 2014."

The mayor's response has been to declare a State of Emergency in the city whose health is being threatened by its own damaged environment.