Turfgrass As a Catalyst for Social Sustainability in an Urban Setting.

In May of 2011 the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a list of the 10 most dangerous cities in the United States of America.  Flint, MI topped this list as, violent crimes committed increased for all categories considered between 2009 and 2010.  Flint once  had a population above 200,000 in the 1970’s and now the population is below 100,000. This decrease resulted in thousands of abandoned lots along with a shrinking tax base slashing budgets for police, fire protection, and municipal services. In the face of these setbacks a citizen group developed a master plan that envisioned a local park as a center piece to a safer and revitalized area.  However, given the state of the park and the crime in the area, residents knew their goal was far from their grasp. The fact was, in the fall of 2009, their park was essentially abandoned and most residents would not even consider stepping a foot into it.  In the spring of 2010 Michigan State University researchers initiated a study to investigate the social, economic, and environmental impact of turfgrass in Flint.  Scotts Inc. funded the project and donated fertilizers and herbicide while John Deere donated mowers.  This paper reports the social impact on maintained turfgrass in Flint over a three-year period. Results indicate that the implementation and community based maintenance of turfgrass in an urban setting serves a multiplicity of purposes beyond improving the aesthetic appearance of local neighborhoods.  Residents feel safer in the maintained environment as the turfgrass is serving as a physical location for residents to interact, creating the potential for improving community social capital, a key ingredient to neighborhood revitalization.