PORT Research: Raising (razing) Detroit
If one was to have access to even a small fraction of the vacant, contaminated post-industrial land mass found throughout the United States, and was able to undertake a large-scale bioremediative regime of phytoextraction and phytostimulation , such an undertaking could have the capacity to produce as much as 2,000* gallons of cellulose based ethanol per acre/year. Not only would this create a direct revenue source for cities, but it would in turn reintroduce massive amounts of readily developable land capable of producing new tax revenues for already struggling municipalities. In addition, such a scenario would create jobs – both highly skilled and entry level – as well as allow cities to define where and how they wish to grow in the future – retaining some agricultural areas while redeveloping others.
“The company is working with Michigan State University (MSU) for its expertise on agricultural and soil sciences, at the same time as consulting with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a U.S. leader in community-based food systems. ‘It makes great sense to utilize the blighted and abandoned land in the city to produce fresh, nutritious food for local consumers,’ said Rick Foster, vice president for programs at the Kellogg Foundation.”
"Detroit Financier Eyes World’s Largest Urban Farm"
by Dallas Kachan, CleanTech, April 3, 2009
