Flint: Back to the Land

I thought about calling this post "Flint: Uplifting and Depressing" to quote the competing descriptors given to the city working to stabilize itself sustainably in the face of population decline and a lost economic base.  This is one of those articles that often tires me, as its efforts to report on any source of progress during long-term shifts like rebuilding an eviscerated city can leave readers buoyed with false hopes or impatient for more positive outcomes ASAP.  But it's a telling story of the highs and lows of fighting poverty - the reality that Flint is still deteriorating in places, even as potential new jobs and land uses come to the fore as officials and residents seek to turn around their hometown.

The main focus of the article is creative uses of land - an abundant resource in Flint - such as turning vacant properties into local gardens.  For some Americans, a return to the land, rustic, pioneering movement is an economic necessity or the most viable economic solution.  So it goes on one street in Flint.

As we know here at Poverty in America, both small scale and large scale efforts like this are happening all over the country.  I praise local governments for allowing residents to exercise some creative control over their neighborhoods alongside government efforts to preserve housing, retain or bring in good jobs, and provide for citizens' economic well-being, safety and health.

(Photo of the Beresford Community Garden in San Mateo, CA by Vicky Moore)