Vacant to Vibrant: Embedding green space in neighborhoods to clean water, cool cities, and bring equitable prosperity

Originally aired October 23, 2019

Hosted by Island Press and the Great Lakes Protection Foundation, this webinar explores how vacant lots — often seen as neighborhood blight — have the potential to be a key element of community revitalization. As manufacturing cities reinvent themselves after decades of lost jobs and population, abundant vacant land resources and interest in green infrastructure are expanding opportunities for community and environmental resilience. Sandra Albro offers practical insights from the five-year Vacant to Vibrant project, which piloted the creation of green infrastructure networks in Gary, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Buffalo, New York.

Speakers

Timothy Beatley (Moderator)

Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, School of Architecture, University of Virginia

Timothy Beatley is the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, where he has taught for over 25 years. Much of his work focuses on sustainable communities and creative strategies by which cities can reduce their ecological footprints while becoming more livable and equitable places.

Sandra Albro

Urban Ecologist, Holden Forests & Gardens (Cleveland Botanical Garden); Author, Vacant to Vibrant

At Cleveland Botanical Garden, a branch of Holden Forests & Gardens, Sandra Albro developed and secured external funding for a research program in applied urban ecology, specializing in stormwater management and vacant land reuse in post-industrial cities in the Great Lakes region. With a focus on multi-agency cooperation and process innovations that promote systemic adoption of green infrastructure, she investigates how improved soils and plants enhance the ecological and social value of vacant urban land.

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson

Mayor, City of Gary, Indiana

Karen Freeman-Wilson has been the Mayor of Gary, Indiana since January 2012 — the first female to lead the city and the first African-American female mayor in the state of Indiana. She previously served as Indiana Attorney General, Director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, and presiding judge of the Gary City Court. She also served as CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and Executive Director of the National Drug Court Institute. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, she has been honored by the White House and Governors of Indiana for her leadership.

Ian Leahy

Director of Urban Forestry, American Forests

Ian Leahy has served as American Forests’ Director of Urban Forestry since 2014. Through the award-winning Community ReLeaf initiative, he has developed a model that helps cities across the country build long-term capacity for managing their urban forests and addressing tree equity issues in low-income communities. Prior to American Forests, he served as the State Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator for the District of Columbia.