Detroit’s Poletown East neighborhood is framed on two sides by freeways. One of them, I-94, separates this section of the city from the General Motors Hamtramck Assembly Center.
But on Palmer Street, just blocks from the traffic and the factory, there’s a spot almost begging you to take a deep breath.
Transformation
On a frigid January morning, three Michigan Public journalists visited Circle Forest. A few years ago, the nonprofit think tank Detroit Future City helped create this 1.3-acre park. This spot had been a group of vacant lots on a quiet, mostly residential street.
Kimberly Faison is the Vice President for Thriving, Resilient Neighborhoods at Detroit Future City.
“The word that comes to my mind is transformation," she said as we stood on the sidewalk at the edge of the park. “During the cleanup, there was evidence of houses that used to be here. So building materials were still here. And so to me, it's really like the transformation of all of the blight, really transforming the health of the environment.”
In a recent report, DFC recommends adding city green space throughout Detroit by following the model used at Circle Forest. Faison and DFC's Director of Land Use and Design, Sarah Hayosh, gave us a tour of the park. On the day of our visit, the ground was covered in crunchy snow, the plants were brown, and the trees were bare.
Hayosh described how the park transforms into a lush, natural space in warmer weather.
"There is a prairie that we installed. So that has about 90 different species of native grasses and forbs and flowers. And then there are about 40 different species of trees on this site. About 200 were planted," she said.
Circle Forest was a joint project between DFC and Arboretum Detroit, another nonprofit that now owns the land here and maintains it. There’s a trail, a fire pit, and a section of wooden boardwalk that winds through the plants and trees.
"We have these play mounds, which are fun for kids to run up and for people to hang out and lay in the sun," Hayosh said. "There's an open area where the neighborhood residents have done workshops like yoga workshops. There's also a screen with the ability to bring out a projector and do movie nights."
Lots of land available
It was 9 degrees when we arrived at Circle Forest, so after a thorough tour we went to the Tech Town Detroit office building that DFC calls home to talk about the group's proposal.
In Detroit, six percent of the city’s land is park space, according to the Trust for Public Land. That lags behind many large U.S. cities. For example, in San Francisco and Washington D.C., 21 percent of the land is park space. In Cincinnati, 17 percent.
In October 2025, Detroit Future City released its report "Saving for the Future: Land Conservation in Detroit," (you can read the full report below). In it, DFC notes there are more than 100,000 vacant lots in Detroit. The city’s Land Bank Authority owns about 59,000 of them. The land bank is not designed to hold onto properties over the long term. DFC is proposing a new land conservancy to take some of those lots and create more spaces like Circle Forest.
Hayosh explained how land conservancies work.
"It is a non-profit organization, and the conservancy can purchase and accept donations of land and own it outright. Or it can also put conservation easements on land, which restricts the development and essentially guarantees that it will remain green space," she said.
A new option
There have been a lot of approaches to dealing with vacant property in Detroit. Urban agriculture, where people have established farming hubs in neighborhoods, is one example. The Detroit Land Bank has also sold off vacant lots adjacent to existing homes, so people can add a side yard to their properties. The Land Bank has also sold some lots for development. Faison sees transferring parcels to a land conversancy as an additional option, not a replacement.
"There are many tools that can and should exist in a city's toolbox. We have an abundance of land and we just can't absorb all of that land into redevelopment. But what we can do is balance the use of our open space with redevelopment," Faison said.
There are a lot of spots in Detroit that could accommodate a park the size of Circle Forest.
"An acre is about ten city lots, and Detroit has 900 sites that are at least two acres in size," Hayosh said.
Land can also be an important city resource. When the Land Bank transfers property for a non-development purpose, like a park owned and operated by a conservancy, that parcel will never be part of the tax base and won't generate any revenue for the city.
But Faison pointed to other benefits.
"I mean, if you think about it, it's currently not generating tax revenue. So what we're proposing is to do something that is contributing to the health of people in neighborhoods. While it may not have a one-for-one in terms of tax capture, it definitely is ensuring that these neighborhoods are places where people want to be," she said.
Hayosh noted that many studies have shown homes near green space see increased property values.
"It provides environmental benefits, too. By filtering the air, reducing heat in the summer. Natural areas can be designed to manage storm water as well," Hayosh said.
"Also we're creating something that will outlive us, you know. So this really is meant to be generational change," Faison added.
Detroit Future City wants to operate the new land conservancy. Hayosh says they're setting up a dedicated nonprofit organization for it now and should be done by the spring. But there's a lot more to do.
"There'll be a process to do community outreach and engagement and talk with the city and the Land Bank, and also do research to really identify where these green spaces could be most feasible," Hayosh said.
It's a project that requires the ability to take the long view. Faison knows exactly what's keeping her motivated.
"I moved a year ago, and part of what was the basis for where I chose to move was access to green space, and it is such a delight. Like what it does for my physical health, my mental health, my quality of life. All neighborhoods should have that."
Editor's note: Some quotes in this article were lightly edited for length and clarity. You can play the audio version of this story near the top of this page.
