Detroit Design 139

Neighborhood Planning

Fitzgerald Revitalization

Creating a Blight-Free 1/4 Square Mile

Neighborhood Framework Plan & Implementation

Project Details

  • Location: Fitzgerald
  • Project Size: .26 SQ MI
  • Completion Date: Spring 2020
  • Developer: Fitz Forward LLC
  • Architects:
  • Spackman Mossop & Michaels
  • Detroit Collaborative Design Center

The Fitzgerald Revitalization

The Fitzgerald Revitalization Project is an initiative to stabilize and strengthen a neighborhood by transforming publicly-owned vacant land and buildings into community assets. Fitzgerald’s vision is to create a blight-free neighborhood by addressing every publicly-owned vacant lot and house within a quarter mile. In the project area alone there are over 400 city-owned properties, over 100 vacant structures and over 300 are vacant lots. The project will holistically address every publicly-owned vacant building and lot simultaneously for maximum impact and effectiveness. Residents and stakeholders worked with the City over a six-month period to generate a framework plan that outlines a complete neighborhood by rehabilitating and occupying vacant homes and activating vacant land. Fitzgerald will see new public spaces for recreation and socializing, and productive landscapes that contribute to environmental sustainability and provide access to nature. The improvement will create new opportunities for land-based businesses like urban agriculture, or green collar jobs - which contribute to stabilization, increased property values, and improved quality of life.