Project Dates: January 2025 - April 2026
Client: City of Detroit Office of Sustainability
SEAS Advisor: Lisa DuRussel RLA, LEED AP Associate Professor of Practice + Engagement
SEAS Students: Marsalis Jolley (MLA), Anya Nona (MLA), Jessica Souiliere (MLA), Zijuan Xiao (MS, Sustainable Systems), Shea Vatalaro (MS, Ecosystem Science & Management)
About the Client
The City of Detroit Office of Sustainability seeks to launch Regenerative Future Detroit (RFD), a three-year pilot program designed to activate 100 acres of vacant land across Detroit for innovative, community-driven land revitalization and low-impact development projects. This initiative aims to equip grassroots and community-based organizations with the necessary resources to implement regenerative sustainability and nature-based solutions. It also seeks to foster equitable environmental governance and prepare the next generation of green career professionals through its workforce development initiative.
About the Project
The student team partnered with Detroit Regenerative Futures (DRF) to develop a modular design framework and outreach toolkit that helps residents, community organizations, and nonprofits reimagine and activate vacant land. The toolkit combines interactive planning tools—including a physical punch-out design guidebook and an online drag-and-drop interface—with data-driven calculators that estimate ecological and economic benefits. Designed to be flexible and accessible, the toolkit can be used at the parcel, block, or neighborhood scale.
To support DRF’s green workforce development goals, the team also created a workforce strategy that connects toolkit modules to local career pathways, skill sets, and training opportunities. This approach helps residents envision not only the future of their neighborhoods, but also their role in shaping and sustaining that future.
By combining participatory planning, vacant-land activation, and workforce development, the project positions Detroit’s vacant land as a regenerative resource and advances community-led approaches to climate resilience, economic opportunity, and neighborhood revitalization.
Read the final report here.