LANSING – The proliferation of vacant lots in Detroit in recent decades has had a beneficial effect on bird diversity, according to a new study by researchers from Michigan State University and Carleton University in Ottawa.
But what’s good for the birds may not be as good for people who live nearby, it said.
Vacant land accounts for about 17% of total land coverage in the city and more than 80% in some neighborhoods, providing diverse habitats that benefit species with different habitat needs, the study said.
The population of Detroit, which the study characterizes as “deindustrialized,” was about 646,000 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s from a peak of 1.85 million in 1950.
Amber Pearson, a professor of public health at Michigan State, said the researchers have partnered with the Detroit Bird Alliance and the Detroit Parks & Recreation Department to study the human health benefits of ecological rehabilitation of disused parks.
In four parks, the work included removal of invasive plants and turf grass, planting native species – many of them flowering, removal of discarded tires and other litter, and installation of trails and signs.
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Monitoring of the users of those parks found improvements in physical activity and reduction of stress, among other health benefits, as well as more bird and plant diversity, said Pearson, who coauthored the study published in the journal “Landscape and Urban Planning.”
Another co-author, assistant biology professor Rachel Buxton of Carleton, said, “The take-home message is we need to come up with solutions that provide win-wins for birds and people.”
The research team collected sound recordings at 110 sites in 11 Detroit neighborhoods. Four of those sites had been rehabilitated.
Of the 54 species recorded, house sparrows, European starlings and American robins were detected most often, followed by northern cardinals and chimney swifts, the study said.
It pointed to a lack of research about conservation and biodiversity in deindustrialized cities, such as those in the Midwest’s Rust Belt states, “despite the opportunities for innovative and sustainable use of vacant lands.”
It also noted high levels of air pollution and traffic noise, limited access to green spaces and environmental racism in marginalized neighborhoods.
The researchers found that vacant land is associated with a higher occurrence of some species, including eastern wood-pewee and northern cardinals. Meanwhile, the proportion of buildings near the recording sites had a negative effect on the likelihood that song sparrows, warbling vireos and indigo buntings, among other species, would be present.
The proximity of roads to vacant lots made it less likely to find certain species, including Baltimore orioles, downy woodpeckers, gray catbirds, indigo buntings, killdeer, and song sparrows, according to the study.
The findings have implications for land management, the researchers said – not only in Detroit but also in other deindustrialized cities “where there is increasing pressure to determine how vacant land can be used to achieve positive ecological and social outcomes.”
It said land management, “urban greening,” and rehabilitation efforts should take into account how vacant land already provides habitat for birds.
The research is part of a broader project called the Study of Active Neighborhoods in Detroit.
There are differing concerns when it comes to dealing with vacant land, the study acknowledged.
The presence of vacant lots can create feelings of anxiety and unsafe conditions among residents who may prefer that the city take care of them through mowing and removal of vegetation, which may reduce biodiversity.
As Buxton put it, “A lot of people, very understandably, find vacant land off-putting and dangerous.”
At the same time, however, the study cited the “potentially high ecological value for unmaintained vacant lots,” including those with dense shrubbery that supports some birds, like gray catbirds.
There are other competing demands for vacant land as well.
DTE Energy, city officials and local residents recently broke ground on a 42-acre solar array in the Van Dyke Lynch neighborhood, one of five community solar fields planned for 165 acres of vacant land.
Advocates of the solar initiative say it will lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.
The new study called for “a balanced approach” that considers the needs of both residents and birds in managing vacant land.
It called for “community-inclusive initiatives” to strengthen the capacity of vacant land to support birds while, at the same time, helping the well-being of city residents “by increasing equitable access to nature, which has significant, positive health benefits.”
Pearson said it’s important to have community engagement at all stages, including the process of designing how to best manage vacant land and building relationships with local groups, churches and businesses.
Holding public events such as teaching children birdwatching and implementing adopt-a park programs also can contribute to community involvement, she said.
This story was originally published by the Capital News Service.
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