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INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Impacts of Residential Demolition and the Sustainable
Reuse of Vacant Lots (Cleveland, Ohio)
Background
Post-industrial cities share the
problems of aging civic and water
infrastructure, a depleted tax base,
and underserved neighborhoods that
lack basic environmental services.
For example, due to the recent spike
in foreclosures coupled with
continued blight within U.S. urban
cores, the number of residential
demolitions has increased, and so
has the amount of vacant land. The
demolition of residences changes
urban landform, and the social and
economic fabric of a neighborhood.
hi many urban cores, stormwater
combines with septic flows in
combined sewers. These combined
sewer systems overflow to streams,
rivers and lakes. The Clean Water
Act (1972) regulates combined
sewers. Enforcement of this law has
inspired local wastewater managers
to manage storm flows by
complementing traditional
wastewater infrastructure (e.g.,
sewer pipes and wastewater
treatment plants) with green
infrastructure. Green infrastructure
(e.g., rain gardens) uses plants, soils
and storage systems to capture
rainfall, prevent runoff, and keep
stormwater out of the combined
wastewater system
Vacant lots can function as green
infrastructure. The soils that
underlay vacant lots can infiltrate,
store, and act as a sink for excess
stormwater runoff. To areas
historically without green space,
green infrastructure can also provide
ecosystem services such as
pollinator activity, heat relief
through evaporative cooling, and
more pleasant surroundings.
Project Overview
EPA researchers are studying
vacant lots and their soils. One
benefit of vacant lots is that they
are found among viable
residences and distributed through
most neighborhoods. However, little
is known about urban soils, much
less their capacity to support green
infrastructure and other techniques
to soak up excess urban runoff.
This research takes a comprehensive
look at the nature of urban soils by
measuring how fast water moves
into the soil, taking deep soil cores,
and using soil taxonomy and the
cores to understand how water
moves through various depths. The
research expands our knowledge of
how demolition affects vacant lots
and their utility for reuse. The work
generates science-based
recommendations on restoring
vacant lot soils, and revising
demolition practices to ensure that
we are not wasting opportunities to
preserve natural resources.
Objective
The objective of this work is to
quantify physical, chemical and
hydrologic characteristics of vacant
lot soils. This knowledge will
expand the understanding of how
these soils may support vegetation,
and will be applied to suggesting
ways to manage urban soils for
stormwater management and other
ecosystem services.
A typical vacant lot in Cleveland, Ohio.
Methods
hi a sampling of vacant lots and city
parks in the cities of Cincinnati and
Cleveland, Ohio, researchers
assessed soils from both undisturbed
(back yard right-of-way) and
disturbed (where the residence
previously stood) places in vacant
lots. They measured the amount of
buried rubble left behind at the time
of demolition, canopy cover, and
ease of water movement. They
analyzed soil nutrients, described
soils using soil taxonomy, and
reached depths approaching bedrock
(usually 3-4 m).
Results and Discussion
Researchers observed that even for
the more thorough post-1996
demolitions, debris removal was
usually incomplete, leaving much
large debris (concrete, brick, wood,
etc.). This means that vacant lots
will require additional fill soil and
preparation prior to further
improvements. Observations also
indicated that demolition contractors
do not typically adhere to the
requirements in Cleveland, Ohio.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Sustainable Technology Division
EPA/600/F-12/510
March 2012
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The fertility of vacant lot soils was
generally sufficient to support
vegetation, especially in the parts of
the lot around the house. Fill soils
tended to be finer in texture and
slaked over, restricting water
infiltration and support for
vegetation. Soil restoration in
residential filled areas should start
with a tilth-building program that
adds raw or composted organic
matter and incorporates serial cover-
cropping with deep-rooted species,
and may include other approaches to
initiate organic matter cycling and
promote water infiltration and
redistribution.
If water that has infiltrated into
surface soils cannot move downward
or elsewhere, it can saturate soils
and cause problems for neighbors, hi
vacant lots, there were at least two
controls on subsurface hydraulic
conductivity, which measures ease
of water movement. Soils in
Cleveland that are closer to Lake
Erie were sandy, and water passed
through these soils easily. Even if
subsoils were not permeable, it was
often the case that incompletely-
filled rubble deposits or basement
areas filled with rubble would pass
water very quickly.
Overall, vacant lot soils supported
some vegetation, and had some
capacity for infiltrating stormwater.
With improvements, vacant lots may
offer other benefits to local
communities. Vacant lots can be
turned into vibrant green spaces that
offer a venue for local agriculture,
pocket parks or other uses. Another
important use for vacant lots that are
properly managed is stormwater
infiltration, hi cities like Detroit,
Cleveland, Cincinnati, vacant lots
are interspersed with residential
housing, and provide a ready sink
for stormwater volume from streets
and the roofs of houses. Eliminating
this stormwater volume from
combined or separated sewer
systems could save sewer districts
money and provide benefits. Yet,
getting the vacant lot into shape can
be a big job. We are currently
looking into the costs and benefits of
a thorough versus an incomplete
demolition.
The data suggest that demolition
practice requires adjustment to
preserve existing soil and hydrologic
attributes of vacant lots, and to
maximize future reuse potential. The
study lays the groundwork for
learning how to conduct a
demolition that creates the
opportunity for the flexible reuse of
vacant land.
Future Work
The next step is to test the
effectiveness of green infrastructure
in improving ecosystem-level
processes by restoring and
monitoring vacant lots. Researchers
will use principles of adaptive
management to guide a green-
infrastructure retrofit of a
neighborhood block in the Slavic
Village Development Corporation
area in Cleveland, Ohio.
Implementing green infrastructure,
among other applications, may foster
more sustainable stormwater
management and extend quality
ecosystem services to areas
historically lacking these attributes.
Contact
William Shuster, Ph.D., Office of
Research & Development, 513-569-
7244, shuster.william@epa.gov
Reference
Moving beyond the udorthent - a
proposed protocol for surveying
urban soils to service data needs for
contemporary urban ecosystem
management. WD Shuster, A
Barkasi, P Clark, S Dadio, P
Drohan, B Furio, T Gerber, T
Houser, A Kelty, R Losco, K
Reinbold, J Shaffer, J Wander, and
M Wigington. Soil Survey Horizons.
Spring 2011.
A vacant lot in Cleveland, Ohio
before any improvements.
After extensive post-demolition
debris removal, soil management,
and plantings, the same vacant lot is
now an attractive, functional
addition to the neighborhood.
Recycled/ recyclable
Printed with vegetable-based ink on
paper that consists of a minimum of
50% post-consumer fiber content
processed chlorine free
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Sustainable Technology Division
EPA/600/F-12/510
March 2012
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