The Importance of Land Stewardship in Southwest Detroit
Our goal at Urban Neighborhood Initiatives has always been to create safe and thriving neighborhoods where people want to live, work and play. We do this by focusing on 3 areas of work: Land Stewardship & Economic Development, Youth Development and Education. Urban Neighborhood Initiatives was founded in 1997 and has spent the last two decades working with residents, partners and volunteers to build a stronger, healthier and beautiful community.
Our Land Stewardship Program has focused on creating welcoming green spaces throughout our Springwells neighborhood and transforming vacant lots from hazards to community assets. UNI’s land stewardship program expanded the impact of local residents already working to improve outdoor spaces in Springwells. We organize volunteers and provide the materials and tools needed to transform these spaces together. We rely on residents to tell us where our land stewardship efforts are most needed and seek permission from property owners to improve those sites. Once transformed, we continue to oversee the lots to ensure long term use for future generations.
Our Land Stewardship Program has focused on creating welcoming green spaces throughout our Springwells neighborhood and transforming vacant lots from hazards to community assets. UNI’s land stewardship program expanded the impact of local residents already working to improve outdoor spaces in Springwells. We organize volunteers and provide the materials and tools needed to transform these spaces together. We rely on residents to tell us where our land stewardship efforts are most needed and seek permission from property owners to improve those sites. Once transformed, we continue to oversee the lots to ensure long term use for future generations.
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Our Impact in Southwest Detroit
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Our projects have ranged from one single lot to 3.2 acres. Every time we tackle a new project and reduce blight in our community, we build on the hope in Springwells.
You can click on the interactive map to get a better sense of some of the lots and green spaces UNI has stewarded over the years. Some of these spaces are a continuous effort between UNI and residents. Our volunteers and partners have done more than maintain lots and plant gardens. They have spread seeds of hope throughout Springwells and residents. One measure of the program’s impact is the willingness of residents to volunteer as land stewards who take on maintenance of specific plots of land. They look after the spaces as if they were their own. |
Paying Tribute to the Gonzalez family & their efforts!
It was on the Fourth of July weekend of 2020, that our small neighborhood of Southwest Detroit learned about the devastating news involving the Gonzalez-Garcia family. A tragic incident claimed the lives of our dear friends, Francisco Gonzalez, and his wife, Maria Gonzalez-Garcia and left their 3 boys injured and to face life without their parents. Although they are no longer physically with us, they live on through their children and in our hearts. Together as a family, they left their mark in our community.
The Gonzalez family holds a very special place in the heart of Urban Neighborhood Initiatives. Maria and her husband, Francisco, were our very first Land Stewards! We began working with them in 2013 when they helped clean up and maintain the Lafayette Playlot. Before their stewardship, the vacant lot had become a real problem for their neighborhood. It was often used as an illegal dumping site. Aside from being an eyesore, it was dangerous for the children in the neighborhood.
After a long day of work, Mr. Gonzalez would come home and put on a headlamp to cut the grass and do any cleanup needed at the lot. Such a hard-working and admirable father.
The Gonzalez family worked hard to clean and transform the vacant lots next to their home. Working with our Land Stewardship program and the Edward C. Levy company, the Gonzalez family secured railroad ties and installed them onto their lots. The boys played an active part in the restoration of these lots. They helped water the plants and even took a ride on the Levy company trucks! Maria and her family connected to a single green space in her community and transformed their block. Maria also enlisted many of her friends and family members to help with the green spaces their family adopted.
When you visit Lafayette Playlot and see families connecting, children playing on the swings or the slide, young people playing basketball or residents on the walking path, know that a very special family collaborated with organizations and volunteer groups to forever change the Lafayette Playlot and their community.
At UNI, we have been working with their family and the City of Detroit to honor Maria and Francisco in the best way possible. We would like to rename the Lafayette Playlot to "The Gonzalez-Garcia Family Park". We have collected all of the signatures, filed all of the necessary paperwork, however we need assistance in raising the money to have signage created and installed. Help us honor the Gonzalez family! Please consider donating to our cause today!
The Gonzalez family holds a very special place in the heart of Urban Neighborhood Initiatives. Maria and her husband, Francisco, were our very first Land Stewards! We began working with them in 2013 when they helped clean up and maintain the Lafayette Playlot. Before their stewardship, the vacant lot had become a real problem for their neighborhood. It was often used as an illegal dumping site. Aside from being an eyesore, it was dangerous for the children in the neighborhood.
After a long day of work, Mr. Gonzalez would come home and put on a headlamp to cut the grass and do any cleanup needed at the lot. Such a hard-working and admirable father.
The Gonzalez family worked hard to clean and transform the vacant lots next to their home. Working with our Land Stewardship program and the Edward C. Levy company, the Gonzalez family secured railroad ties and installed them onto their lots. The boys played an active part in the restoration of these lots. They helped water the plants and even took a ride on the Levy company trucks! Maria and her family connected to a single green space in her community and transformed their block. Maria also enlisted many of her friends and family members to help with the green spaces their family adopted.
When you visit Lafayette Playlot and see families connecting, children playing on the swings or the slide, young people playing basketball or residents on the walking path, know that a very special family collaborated with organizations and volunteer groups to forever change the Lafayette Playlot and their community.
At UNI, we have been working with their family and the City of Detroit to honor Maria and Francisco in the best way possible. We would like to rename the Lafayette Playlot to "The Gonzalez-Garcia Family Park". We have collected all of the signatures, filed all of the necessary paperwork, however we need assistance in raising the money to have signage created and installed. Help us honor the Gonzalez family! Please consider donating to our cause today!
Green Spaces during the COVID-19 Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our community, we were afraid of what was to come. Thanks to our amazing staff, partners and volunteers, we were able to offer a majority of our programs virtually. However, as we spent more and more time on our computer screens and electronic devices, we all began to feel "burnt out". This can cause us to feel unmotivated, anxious, and stressed out. Ultimately, affecting our day to day lives.