Milwaukee Residents Can Help Redesign Vacant Lots Through Local Competition

The City of Milwaukee owns and maintains around 3,000 vacant lots. Now, local residents can help to redesign and activate a dozen of them by winning the “Vacant Lot Challenge.”

The winning team will receive up to $10,000 for project implementation.

Milwaukee Alderman Ashanti Hamilton said he started the pilot project in four low-income areas to reuse the vacant lots in a creative way. He added that proposed activities like sports coaching and urban gardening would have an impact on teen violence seen in the city.

“I think a lot of young people, (if) they were involved in some positive activities right there in our neighborhoods that were supervised and supported by the people that live in that neighborhood, it would redirect them from a lot of the negative behaviors that we see happening throughout the city,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton said he hopes to see a matching grant from nearby businesses, in addition to the federal fund. The project is offering public workshops before the application deadline of Aug. 14.