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How to Shrink a City --

Legally

APA National

Conference

Los Angeles

April 2012

Don Elliott, FAICP, Clarion Associates

Rory Bolger, Detroit City Planning Commission

Bill D’Avignon, Youngstown Community Development

Leah Hollstein, University of Texas

o Nationally recognized land use consulting practice

o 18 planners, attorneys, and landscape architects

o 80+ development code projects in U.S. and abroad

o Special focus on cities in transition, affordable housing, and sustainability

Don Elliott, FAICP -- Clarion Associates

• Rory Bolger, ______,

• Deputy Director, Detroit, MI, City Planning Commission

• Principal responsibility for zoning and land use legislation

• Project Director of the Zoning Ordinance Revision Project

• William D’Avignon, _____,

• Director, Youngstown, OH, Community Development Dept.

• Key role in award-winning Youngstown 2010 Plan

• Member Brookings Institution Shrinking Cities Working Group

• Member of White House Auto-Impacted Cities Working Group

• Leah Hollstein

• PhD Candidate, CRP Program, University of Texas

• Specializing in vacant lots and related opportunities

• Focus on alternative planning paradigms not relying on municipal growth.

Panelists

In absentia

Prof. Justin Hollander, Tufts University

Panelists

Clarion Associates | Farr Associates

Questions and Discussion

Current Shrinking Cities Research

Leah Hollstein

University of Texas at Austin

Presentation Outline

• Introduction to Topic

• Overview of Current Research Themes

– Design Responses and Interventions;

– Traditional Focus on Growth as Desired Trajectory in US

Cities;

– Social Equity Issues in Shrinking Cities;

– Issues Associated with Land use in Shrinking Cities; and

– Environmental and Ecological Problems and Opportunities

• My Research

Problem Definition

• Shrinking Cities in US

• Deindustrialization & Economic Changes

– Aberrant Cities (1820 – 1930)

– Declining Cities (1950 – 1980)

– Shrinking Cities (1980 – current)

• Unique Urban Planning Challenges

Design Responses and Interventions

• The Syracuse

“L” Design

Competition

Winner –

• Field

Operations

and CLEAR


• MVRDV – Light

Urbanism


• “Right-Sizing” Cities

• On-Demand/Dynamic Infrastructure

• De-Annexing Parts of Cities

• New Suburbanism

• Urban Islands/Cities within Cities/Consolidation Model

Traditional Focus on Growth as Desired

Trajectory in US Cities

• European research is not hampered by this focus

• Discomfort with terrain vagues

• Steady-State Economics

• Urban Succession Pattern

• Historic cyclical patterns in cities

• Foresight, proactiveness, flexibility v. strategic

planning

Social Equity Issues in Shrinking Cities

• Redevelopment leading to gentrification

• Culture-driven regeneration can cannibalize the

culture-creators.

• Privileged voices in redevelopment

• Segregation

• Decrease in community/public life

Issues Associated with Land use in

Shrinking Cities

• Temporary Uses

• Security through landscape interventions

• Walls

• Green Infrastructure Holding Patterns

Environmental and Ecological Problems

and Opportunities

• Location of Greenspaces in Cities

• Industrienatur

Existing Research

• Largely Anecdotal, Case Studies, Comparative Research

• Vacant and Abandoned Lots

– Tools: Land Banks, Land Trusts

– Uses: Temporary uses, Green Infrastructure, Agriculture

– Policies: Sale to Neighbors, Return to Nature, Social and Cultural Experimentation, Changes to Urban Fabric

• Choice of tools, uses, policies dependant upon outlooks of cities and planners

Research Questions

• How do professional city planners in the US view the shrinking process, particularly as it is, and has been, manifested in vacant and abandoned lots?

• What are common land-use related effects of shrinking in US cities?

• What opportunities are associated with these manifestations?

• Are professional city planners in the US able, within current structural restraints, to take advantage of these "opportunities"? If not, why and what is hampering them from taking action to use shrinking as a chance to change their city for the better? If so, how are they doing so?

Expected Results and Contributions

• Discovery of Opportunities

• First Survey of this Planning issue

• Interviews of experts to contextualize issue

• Possible alternatives to growth as prime goal

• Policies and Tools – Current and Future

• “Gaps” in planning knowledge

Session S470

How to Shrink a City--Legally

Detroit--Same Land, Fewer Folks

Boom and Bust in the Motor City

M. Rory Bolger

APA’s 2012 National Planning Conference

Detroit--Same Land, Fewer

Folks

What’s the picture

today?

Why has the

picture changed?

How are plans and

laws changing in

response?


Folks

139 square miles

Boston, San

Francisco, and

Manhattan would fit

inside the city limits

of Detroit


Folks

POPULATION OF DETROIT

1950 1,800,000 (4th biggest city)

2000 951,270 (10th biggest city)

2010 713,777 (18th biggest city)

25% decline between 2000 and 2010 federal

decennial census

Now smaller population than Columbus, Indianapolis, Austin,

Charlotte, Fort Worth, and Jacksonville


Folks

Detroit’s 2010 population is as low as

the city’s 1910 population

In 1910, the auto boom had not

occurred

In 1910, Detroit had not finished

annexing land.


Folks

2010 Census: U.S. population

increased 9.7%

2010 Census: Michigan population

decline 0.6%


Folks

DETROIT WORKFORCE

1950 200,000 in manufacturing

2010 20,000 in manufacturing

1910-1950 Detroit was a boomtown

Migration from Europe, Canada, south


Folks

WHY SUCH A

POPULATION BUST?

Bad economy

Falling home prices in

suburbs

Quality of city schools

Safety

Insurance and taxes


Folks

WHY SUCH A HOUSING BUST?

Boomtown houses: frame not brick

Decay from age and humidity

Poverty/deferred maintenance

Vacant units: metal strippers, arson


Folks

RESPONSE TO NEW

REALITY: Detroit

Works Project

Close off some areas

of city

Discontinue/limit city

services—public light,

police, fire, street

maintenance, garbage

pick-up


Folks

Closing-off areas:

easier said than

done.

Many patchwork

areas: occupied,

derelict, vacant land

The “paid and stayed”

No $$$ for relocation

Cloudy title: Who

owns what?


Folks

SO MUCH LOST PROPERTY TAX REVENUE

Only about 40% of real estate parcels have taxes paid on time

Non-payers: abandoned parcels, exempts (churches, schools)


Folks

SO MUCH VACANT LAND

2010 residential parcel survey: >100,000 vacant lots

Large, vacant industrial, commercial, institutional parcels


Folks

Some multi-block

formerly residential

areas are ripe for

redevelopment.


Folks

SO MUCH VACANT

LAND = SO MUCH

OPPORTUNITY

Urban agriculture

“Daylighting” streams

and drains

Land returning to

nature

Land bank

Public/private

partnerships


Folks

Urban agriculture in

the City of Detroit

• 70 gardens in 2003

•1,351 gardens in 2011

•Well developed urban

agriculture network

•Emphasis on local food

security

•State’s “Right to Farm”

Act = obstacle to

commercial urban

agriculture


Folks

Urban Ag ordinance:

Terms defined

Certain products, uses

prohibited

Farm product sales

permitted

Accessory uses,

structures

Trash, fencing,

lighting, maintenance,

drainage, equipment


Folks

LARGE-SCALE, COMMERCIAL URBAN AG: Promising/Challenging

Would remove blighted conditions

Would pay taxes

Would employ workers

…sell or lease land?

…who does site prep?

…what tax rate?


Folks

More than 100

Detroit Public

Schools buildings

and sites are

vacant

Most are located

on land zoned R1

and R2 where few

uses can be

established


Folks

Proposed “School

Building Adaptive

Re-use” Ordinance

Would allow:

5 residential uses;

6 public, civic,

institutional uses;

8 retail, service,

and commercial

uses .


Folks

Proposed “School

Building Adaptive

Re-use”

Ordinance:

Allows 19 uses on

a conditional basis

after public hearing

Requires all

parking on-site


Folks

DETROIT LAND

BANK

Tax-foreclosed

properties

Clear title

Board & secure before

stripped

Captures properties

before county auction /

speculator buy-ups


Folks

Public/private partnerships

Facilitate what the city can’t

*Riverwalk

*Campus Martius Park

*Eastern Market

*museums, zoo

*Dequindre cut greenway


Folks

Private corporate

acquisition of

blighted land

Marathon oil

refinery

Property purchase

program

Green space buffer


Folks OAKWOOD HTS PROPERTY

PURCHASE PROGRAM

$50,000 or average appraised price

Bonus: 50% of appraisal

$5,000 miscellaneous expense

$1,000 early sign-up

$500 professional advice allowance

$1,500 new mortgage assistance


Folks

…and some land just returns to nature.

Youngstown, Ohio

Declining Population

1950 2010 Change

• Population: 167,643 66,982 -60%

• Dwelling Units: 46,293 33,123 -28%

• Vacant Structures 1.2% 19% +17.8%

• Vacant Land: 31.8% 44.2% +12.4%

Youngstown 2010 Began in 2000

Vision- Adopted 2002 Plan – Adopted 2005

Guiding Principles Goals – Cleaner, Greener and

Better planned and organized

Implementing Youngstown 2010

• Focused strategy – build on existing assets

• Where investment is made; as important as

where investment is not made

• Repurpose vacant land for economic and

environmental opportunities

• Develop better implementation tools

Downtown Redevelopment

Repurposed Land for Economic Opportunities

Ohio Works Performance Place

Salt Springs V & M Star Steel

Sustainable Neighborhood Strategies

Demonstration Neighborhood Project

Community Gardens

Beautification Projects

Other Land Use Strategies

Plans for the creation of an urban

wetlands mitigation bank

Clean Ohio Project

Preservation of over 200 Acres

Themes

- Aid in implementing the

Youngstown 2010 Plan

- Promote Sustainability

- Promote Reinvestment

- Improve the quality of the City

New Redevelopment Code

Need

- Outdated1969

- Based on 1950 Comprehensive Plan

- Funded with State of Ohio Grant

- Project Timeline March 2011 through

July 2012

Redevelopment Code Team • Clarion Associates – project manager

• Farr Associates – form-based controls

• McBride Dale Clarion – Ohio planning and stakeholder outreach

• ACP Visioning+Planning – public outreach

• Global Green – urban agriculture and greening

• Youngstown State University – data and mapping

• Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative – assist with public outreach

Allows for many vacant land reuses

Allow temporary/interim uses

Creates New Districts

Commercial and residential form-based districts

Industrial Green

Open Space

Agriculture/Wetlands

Limited services overlay

Incorporates reasonable development standards

Admin & enforcement clarified and streamlined

New for Youngstown

Key Vacant Land Districts

•Agriculture/Wetlands

–Limits land use to agricultural and customary

accessory uses and structures or wetlands

•Open Space

–Protect the city parks, trails and green

corridors

•Limited Services Overlay

–Designate areas where significant investment

is not encouraged due to the high cost of

providing municipal services

Industrial Green

• Allows for light manufacturing and distribution uses that have minimal negative impacts on environment and surrounding residential areas

• Applies development standards that require landscaping and screening

• Offers Ten (10) year property tax

abatement incentives for LEED

certification

– 50% Silver

– 75% Gold

– 100% Platinum

Keys to Youngstown “Shrinking”

• Innovative planning

• Broad public support

• Focus on existing assets

• Improving existing tools

– Ohio land bank law

– Vacant & rental property registration

– Regional Property Information System

• New redevelopment code

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