Elmwood Circle Forest

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Detroit (FUA)

Region

Northern America

Short description of the intervention

The Circle Forest project, led by Arboretum Detroit in partnership with Detroit Future City, is transforming a vacant lot the size of a football field in the Poletown East neighborhood into a green space. Once used as a dumping site, the area is being revitalized with 200 native trees, including oak, elderberry, white pine, and juniper. Supported by local groups like Detroit Audubon, Singing Tree, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the project aims to improve environmental quality and provide better access to nature for residents. Since 2019, over 120 trees have been planted, with plans to develop a native meadow. This initiative offers a space for recreation and reflection, benefiting the local community, including a nearby nursing home and rehabilitation center. Beyond ecological restoration, Circle Forest fosters connections to indigenous knowledge and respects the wisdom of the original stewards of the land. (Ref.1, 2)

Website of the intervention

https://www.arbdetroit.org/circle-forest

Principal problems

Environmental Degradation

Biodiversity loss

Deforestation and forest degradation

Land use and Socio-economic change

Unequal availability and access to public green spaces

Health, Well-being and Social cohesion

Inadequate access to recreational opportunities

Implementation area characterization

Climate

Continental (Cold-summer humid continental, Cold-winter dry continental, Cold-summer dry continental)

Ecosystem

Urban or built environment

Address

3301 Palmer
Detroit, 48211
United States

Location

The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).

Area boundary (map-based)

NBS area image

Source of NBS area image

https://www.arbdetroit.org/media-links -> last image

Total area

5260.91m²

NBS area

5260.91m²

Area description

Urban (main city)

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Previous derelict area

Residential

Waste disposal site or landfill

Vacant or abandoned land

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

2019

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

2021

End date of the intervention

ongoing

Present stage of the intervention

Ongoing

2. Objectives of the intervention

Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

1.To transform a vacant lot in Poletown East into a vibrant green space by planting 200 native trees, restoring the land to a more natural state.
2.To restore native vegetation, remove invasive species, and foster a space of healing for community members through engagement with nature.
3.To promote intercultural competency by encouraging the community to learn about Indigenous Knowledge and the original uses of native plants.
4. To partner with local organizations and engage volunteers to support the restoration efforts.
5. To ensure the project is inclusive, providing accessible green space for all, including those with disabilities.
6. To enhance the quality of life in Poletown East by creating more green space and setting a model for sustainable urban development.
7. To establish a framework for the ongoing care and maintenance of Circle Forest, ensuring its long-term sustainability and community involvement.
(Ref.1,2)

Key Priorities

Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)

Social Justice and community

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Habitat and biodiversity restoration

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Cultural heritage and cultural diversity

Promotion of cultural diversity

Preservation of historic traditions

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Creation of opportunities for recreation

Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)

Environmental education

Environmental and climate justice

Sense of community and community engagement

What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?

Species-focused

Ecosystem-focused

What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?

Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems

Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)

Restore native species

Clear and control invasive alien species

Public engagement

Implementation activities and NBS focus

Implementation activities

Implementation Activities:

1.Land Acquisition and Cleanup by Arboretum Detroit, a Non-Governmental Organization who:
- Acquired a vacant lot from the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
- Conducted thorough cleanup efforts, including the removal of debris and invasive species.

2.Tree Planting and Native Vegetation Restoration:
- Planted 120 native trees such as oak, elderberry, white pine, cedar, juniper, and tupelo.
- Reintroduced native plants to restore the natural ecosystem.

3.Volunteer Engagement:
- Mobilized local volunteers for tree planting and ongoing maintenance activities.
- Partnered with local organizations and community members for broader support.
(Ref.1,2,3)

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Creation of large parks and urban and peri-urban forests

Protection of natural ecosystems

Habitat restoration

Transformation of previously derelict areas

Transformation of vacant land into green spaces

Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Indigenous and community-based conservation initiatives

Educational and awareness raising programs

Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity

Clearing out invasive alien species and allow natural regeneration maintaining the functionality the ecosystem

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Parks and urban forests

Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces

Please specify "other green areas for water management"

critical water tables that help manage flooding

Amenities offered by the NBS

Benches and drinking water stations

Educational or biodiversity trails

Other

Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS

Fire pit (Ref.3) and ADA compliant board walk (Ref.2)

Design elements for well-being

Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation)

Olfactory elements (e.g., floral scents, earthy smells)

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Habitat and supporting services

Habitats for species

Cultural services

Recreation

Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)

Social and community interactions

Scale

Spatial scale

Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level

Beneficiaries

Demographics in implementation area

Poletown East is a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan with a population of 1482. The median household income ($21,414) is significantly below the national average ($70,961) (Ref.4). There are 689 homes in the neighborhood and the average single family home size is 2,607 Sq Ft. (Ref.4)

Socio-economic profile of the area

Low-income

Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts

Non-government actors

Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches

Citizens or community groups

Primary Beneficiaries

Citizens or community groups

Marginalized groups

Specify primary beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries of the Circle Forest project are the residents of the Poletown East neighborhood in Detroit, particularly those living near the newly restored green space. This includes individuals and families who gain access to a natural environment for recreation, relaxation, and education. Special consideration is given to residents of the adjacent nursing home and rehabilitation center, who benefit from the accessible, healing space. Additionally, the broader community benefits from improved environmental quality, enhanced biodiversity, and opportunities for cultural learning and engagement through the project’s educational initiatives. (Ref.1)

Marginalized groups

People with functional diversities

Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups

Arboretum Detroit installed an Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design (ADA) compliant boardwalk in Circle forest with the help of a grant from AARP Community Challenge Grant. (Ref.2)

Specify measures taken for vulnerable or marginalized communities

Implementation of specific programs to address the needs of these communities

Other beneficiaries

Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)

Native plant vegetation

Natural habitats (e.g. wetland, forests, coastal areas)

Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification)

Public health (e.g. increased physical activity opportunities, reduced stress)

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Led by non-government actors

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

Arboretum Detroit is the lead organization overseeing the Circle Forest project, responsible for planning, land acquisition, ecological restoration, and engaging the community. Detroit Future City plays a key role as a collaborator, focusing on improving green spaces and promoting sustainable urban development in Detroit.
Local residents contribute through volunteering for tree planting, land cleanup, and ongoing maintenance, fostering a sense of community ownership. Many also provide donations to support the project.
Detroit Audubon partners by offering expertise on local bird habitats and biodiversity, while the US Fish and Wildlife Service provides both a grant and guidance on native species restoration and maintaining ecological balance. Fungi Freights supports the initiative by introducing fungal networks to improve soil health and tree growth.
Additionally, the AARP Community Challenge awarded a grant for an ADA-compliant boardwalk. (Ref.2)

Key actors - initiating organization

Non-government organisation/civil society

Citizens or community group

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

National government

Non-government organisation/civil society

Citizens or community group

Stages of citizen and community engagement

On-the-ground implementation

Monitoring and evaluation of project outcomes

Level of citizen and community engagement

Moderate

Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives

Implementation of educational programs, workshops or trainings

Formation of community-led groups responsible for the the implementation, maintenace or monitoring of the project

Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)

Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget

Dissemination of information and education

Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")

Community & Social Groups

Activist groups (e.g. climate, environment, justice, etc)

Land owners

Other

Please specify other landowner

Property owned by Arboretum Detroit, a Non-Governmental Organization (Ref.1).

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Unknown

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Voluntary (spontaneous)

Enablers & Barriers

Type of enablers

NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation

Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)

Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.

Funds: Grant provided by governmental agency. (1)

Governace and decison-making instruments

Economic and fiscal instruments (e.g. subsidies or grants, charges or fees, payments for ecosystem services (PES))

Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)

Arrangements for governance cooperation

Unknown

Barriers

Unknown.

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Please specify total cost (EUR)

Unknown

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

Public national budget

Crowdfunding

Private Foundation/Trust

Type of fund(s) used

Earmarked public budget

Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Donations

Non-financial contribution

Yes

Who provided the non-financial contribution?

Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of land

Provision of labour

Provision of expertise

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-governance arrangement

A crowdfunding project

Entrepreneurship opportunities

Business models

Local stewardship model

Vacant space model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)

Citizens / local communities

5. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Climate change

Lowered local temperature

Expected lowered local temperature

Environmental quality

Improved air quality

Expected improved air quality

Improved soil quality

Achieved improved soil quality

Green space and habitat

Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems

Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems

Increased conversion of degraded land or soil

Achieved increased conversion of degraded land or soil

Increased number of species present

Achieved increased number of species present

Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species

Achieved improved prevention or control of invasive alien species

Enhanced support of pollination

Expected enhanced support of pollination

Restoration of derelict areas

Achieved restoration of derelict areas

Description of environmental benefits

-Lowered local temperature: “Our goal is to combat climate change on the local level and also to create shade and cooling,” (Ref.4)
-Improved air quality: “Birch is a native Detroiter who has lived in the neighborhood in the incinerator's shadow for the past 20 years. He formed Arboretum Detroit as a nonprofit in 2019 in response to the area’s poor air quality.[...]we’re doing this to create more oxygen and filtration."(Ref.1)
-Improved soil quality:”We will bring undulations to the landscape by forming small hills with valley rings around them. This will allow us to import better soil into the rings into which we will plant the tree groves.”(Ref.3)
-Increased restoration of ecosystems:”A native habitat restoration project” (Ref.2)
-Increased conversion of degraded land or soil:”We will bring undulations to the landscape by forming small hills with valley rings around them. This will allow us to import better soil into the rings into which we will plant the tree groves.”(Ref.3)
-Increased number of species present:”planting trees like Oaks, Sweet Gums, Black Gums, Hackberries, Sugar Maples, Cedars and many other natives that will provide food and shelter better suited to the native animal population.”(Ref.2)
-Improved control of invasive alien species:”We have begun by clearing the existing forest of garbage as well as invasive trees and plants.”(Ref.2)
-Enhanced support of pollination:”We are working with local partners Detroit Audubon, Singing Tree, US Fish and Wildlife, Fungi Freights, Gm Cares and many volunteers, to bring a native meadow”(Ref.2)
-Restoration of derelict areas/Increased green space area/increased restoration of ecosystems: “Like many abandoned lots in the city, Circle Forest was a dumping ground before Arboretum bought them…Arboretum Detroit is working to transform 12 vacant lots in the city’s Poletown East neighborhood into an oasis of 200 trees called Circle Forest.”(Ref.1)

Environmental impact indicators

Total number of vascular plant species protected or introduced

200

Total area of habitat restored (in ha)

1.3 acres

Economic impacts

Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)

Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)

Description of economic benefits

1.Generation of voluntary work opportunity: "With the help of volunteers, the goal is to cover it in native trees like oak, elderberry, white pine, cedar, juniper, and tupelo. [...] a host of volunteers filled two dumpsters with discarded roofing, toilets, pools, beds, and other random trash as they cleaned the area."(Ref.1)

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

Unknown

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

Cost-benefit analysis

Transparency

Meetings with stakeholders’ representatives

Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.)

Community forums for information sharing and encouraging the participation of marginalized groups

Clear communication channels for stakeholders to provide feedback, raise concerns, and ask questions about the project

Justice

Community satisfaction

Positive: The majority of feedback and reports indicate high levels of satisfaction and appreciation for the NBS project within the community.

Description of locals satisfaction with the project

“Every time I’m up here, I see kids running around, or workers from that facility over here catching a smoke, neighbors over here building a fire and cooking breakfast, it’s amazing,” he says. “It’s here for people and people are finding it.”(Ref.1) "It's now a place where people can walk in, take a breath and feel like they're somewhere else," he says. "We have meetings there, camps come through, and just the other day some kids were sitting in the trees writing songs." "There's been a vibe of people understanding that this was such a traumatized landscape. And, if we can do anything to heal it, we're doing good." (Ref.5)

Trade-offs & Negative impacts

Unknown

Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement

No initiatives or policies were implemented

High-quality & Transformative NBS

Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)

Yes

Goal setting and impacts delivery

No, although benefits were delivered in all the 3 key areas, but in the planning phase, the project did not aim to address issues in all the 3 key priority areas.

Reaching original project goals

Most of the project goals were achieved

Please specify the achievements of the project goals

Biodiversity Goals:
-Increased number of species present:”planting trees like Oaks, Sweet Gums, Black Gums, Hackberries, Sugar Maples, Cedars and many other natives that will provide food and shelter better suited to the native animal population.”(Ref.2)
-Improved control of invasive alien species:”We have begun by clearing the existing forest of garbage as well as invasive trees and plants.”(Ref.2)
-Enhanced support of pollination:”We are working with local partners Detroit Audubon, Singing Tree, US Fish and Wildlife, Fungi Freights, Gm Cares and many volunteers, to bring a native meadow”(Ref.2)

Social justice and community:
-Increased opportunities for social interaction: "[..]opportunities for kids to have a place to run free and play.[..] “These kids were hanging from trees while they’re writing poetry and it was really beautiful to see the forest activated in that way. Life breeds life."(Ref.1)
-Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: "A community is forming around this project unlike any we have undertaken. With the help of volunteers, the goal is to cover it in native trees like oak, elderberry, white pine, cedar, juniper, and tupelo."(Ref.3,1)
-Gain in activities for recreation and exercise: "Free Yoga at Circle Forest"(Ref.8)
-Promotion of cultural diversity: "Let us hone our intercultural competency and recognize the value of Indigenous Knowledge."(Ref.2)
-Improvement in people’s connection to nature: “This project is about giving people a place to fall in love with a forest,”(Ref.6)

Long-term perspective

Yes

Cost-effective solutions

Unknown

Equitable impacts

A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project

Transformative capacity

Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them)

Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)

Magnitude of change

Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation

Application of lessons learned

The NBS has been shared or used as a good practice to trigger transformative change

Perception of Environmental Change

Unknown

6. Sources

References

Green, R. C. (2022). Arboretum Detroit is building a forest and ‘green loop’ of nature spots in Poletown East. Detroit: Metro Times, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Arboretum Detroit (n.d.). Circle Forest. [Source link] [Archive];

Kemp "Birch", A. (2021). Circle Forest is Happening. Detroit: Arboretum Detroit, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Homes.com (n.d.). Poletown East. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Drepaul, J. (2022). Circle Forest restoration clears a path for community growth in Detroit's Poletown East. Detroit: Model Media, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Download];

Kelly, E. (2022). Tapping into people power to plant trees on vacant neighborhood land. Outlier Media, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Miller, E. M. (2022). Big Plans: Five Detroit developments to watch in 2022. Detroit: Model Media, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Arboretum Detroit (2024). Free Yoga at Circle Forest. Accessed on August 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Sherman, J. (2023). Grassroots greenspace projects expand Detroit’s open space network. Detroit: Planet Detroit, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Comments and notes

Comments

I could not find any information on the project expenses, nor the amount of funding received.

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