Reuse, Remediation, Rehabilitation Urban Ecological Design For Vacant Structures and Lands Jefferson Chalmers | Detroit, MI

Abstract

In Detroit, abandoned buildings and landscapes lie in ruin, slowly degrading until they are demolished or replaced. This unsustainable cycle leaves behind harmful remnants that damage soils and urban ecosystems, when these sites could provide community amenities or ecosystem services, such as stormwater management, habitat connectivity, or urban beautification. Recently, however, Detroit has embraced adaptive reuse—transforming vacancy into assets rather than discarding them. This thesis proposes an adaptive reuse, remediation, and rehabilitation design strategy for the former Guyton Elementary, a vacant school, and its surrounding vacant lands. The City of Detroit currently has no publicly announced development, demolition, or renovation plans for the former Guyton Elementary. The building lies vacant, degrading over time. Additionally, many of the lots surrounding Guyton Elementary are vacant with patches of dense vegetation that create a characteristic urban forest. These features are assets that make up the urban ecological design strategy of this thesis. Neighborhood design strategies target the reuse, remediation, and rehabilitation of vacant structures and vacant lands to provide community infrastructure, neighborhood connectivity, and ecological resilience, particularly the management of stormwater, which causes detrimental flooding for the community of Jefferson Chalmers.