Despite the city’s thriving neighborhoods and generally climbing real estate values, certain areas of Chicago look more like most people’s conception of Detroit than Lake Shore Drive. Indeed, shuttered homes and vacant lots overgrown with grass and weeds are pretty common in areas like Englewood – but the city has come up with a new way to fight that deterioration and give back to the community at the same time: Chicago is selling those vacant and abandoned lots, for as little as 1 (one) US American dollar.

Really.

Julie Finn, a writer at our sister site, Insteading, first broke the story a few weeks ago. I’ve shared her story, below, and invite you to let us know what you think of Chicago’s grand plan for greening up the city and to give the land back to the people in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Chicago Sells Vacant Lots for $1 Each, Encourages Urban Gardening

As a welcome slap in the face to smaller towns like Oak Park, Michigan, and Leawood, Kansas, that bafflingly prohibit such healthy, pro-community projects as vegetable gardens and Little Free Libraries in property owners’ own front yards, Chicago, Illinois is permitting property owners in greater Englewood to purchase city-owned vacant lots at $1 per parcel, and to do what they’d like with them.

Mind you, you can’t just move to Chicago and buy up vacant lots as easy as if you’re putting hotels on Park Place and Boardwalk; this incentive is only open to those who already own property on that block, owe no property taxes, and have no unpaid city fines (quick, pay your parking tickets!). But the sales will be fast-tracked, so you should just be able to squeak that fall garden in, or build that co-op playground that you and your neighbors have always talked about before winter sets in.

Can you imagine how many people could be fed by a community garden the size of a vacant lot? How convenient it would be to be able to build the art studio or home office space that you’ve always wanted right next door to your current house? How much kids would love to have a little park in their neighborhood, built and maintained by their parents and parents’ friends?

Yes, I’m sure there are going to be some ugly lots. Some person will buy a lot and leave it weedy and vacant. Some person will build a really ugly building on their lot. Some person will use their lot as a glorified parking lot.

But all that is predictable. What’s going to be the wonderful surprise is the person who makes their lot into an amazing art installation, or the neighborhood that turns their lot into a community gathering place, or the family that puts their lot to some creative use that I can’t even predict.

THAT’S what I can’t wait to see!

Originally published on Insteading.