By The Huffington Post News Editors

By Nick Carey
DETROIT, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Imagine a city with open space larger than the size of Paris, where people are planting hardwood trees and vegetable gardens, and neighbors have plenty of room to spread out.
It would sound so idyllic, if only it weren’t Detroit.
The open space is largely abandoned land, the lack of neighbors the result of an inexorable exodus, the planting the work of residents striving to stop the blight from spreading.
America loves a big comeback, but Detroiters harbor few illusions. For many here, it’s about salvaging what remains of a once-great city.
Throughout its long decline, Detroit has sought ways to restore to its former glory a city that was home to 1.8 million people, pinning its hopes on grandiose plans for the automotive industry or casinos.
With just 700,000 people left, ambitions are now focused on making less populated neighborhoods viable and repurposing land, perhaps for urban farming. Where the cash-strapped city can’t provide, grassroots groups and investors help fill the gaps.
“What everyone wants is new neighbors,” said Khalil Ligon, project manager for the Lower East Side Action Plan (LEAP), a nonprofit focused on some 15 square miles of the city where 55,000 people live. “But where are you going to get them?”
The falling population is one of Detroit’s biggest problems. Detroit Future City, a planning blueprint, assumes just 600,000 residents. Launched by Mayor Dave Bing, the plan aims to revamp the economy and use empty space. The Kresge Foundation, started by the Detroit family behind retail giant Kmart, has promised $150 million toward the project.
“It’s certainly the most realistic plan the city has ever had,” said Margaret Dewar, a University of Michigan planning professor in Ann Arbor.
Neighborhood groups are also pitching in. Dave Szymanski, deputy treasurer for Wayne County, which includes Detroit, says “we’ve …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post