MSU proposes urban agriculture project in Detroit

[rbdetsport]

I am currently a student at MSU, but I don't feel that my opinion is biased, as I care more about the survival of Detroit more than any school I have attended [[includes UofM, MSU, and NYU [[this summer)).

This project would be a great thing for the city. I find it ridiculous that the city would not be chomping at the bit for a research project like this. The city should try to get as many research projects as possible, as that is how the city originally started its residential growth, with the assembly line "research project", right? We are at a point in the life of Detroit that we need to find a new way of doing business. Who knows, maybe that could be urban farming.

The whole idea of urban farming will be a good project in Detroit. Take the vacant land that is not going to be used for at least 20 years, and turn it in to an urban farm. This will in turn raise the demand for space in the sustainable areas as people want to move back to the city. It will also take away the focus of law enforcement on highly vacant areas and allow them to focus there resources on the areas where most of the population density lives. It seems so basic if it is put that way. We should test the waters in this industry. And I applaud my university for taking these steps towards making a large research investment in Detroit.

Oh, and to make sure that this isn't in fact a land grab, give MSU and Hantz Farms [[gosh, with all of the recent allegations I shouldn't put those two in the same sentence) a 20-30 year lease on the land. Make sure it says in the agreement that if a developer comes forward with a legit plan, then the land can be used for that.

[oladub]

I wonder if MSU plans to drill water wells or pay for fluoridated City water to irrigate its crops?

I'm guessing that a good sized city block would be about 15 acres. Would the sidewalks and streets be torn up in between blocks? That would be quite a cost.

Then there is the crime problem. How will crops and field workers be protected? This is a basic consideration to doing anything in Detroit.

I'm not saying this idea shouldn't be considered. It will at least keep the grass cut and be a novelty. Maybe some good will come out of it providing some practical alternatives for green spaces. However, large scale self sufficient gated communities of up to 50,000 residents with their own private police, educational services, stores, and businesses would probably make more sense.