From Forgotten Spaces to Honeybee Homes

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Bee habitats bring urban renewal at these Detroit apiaries By Jodi Helmer Images courtesy of Bees in the D and Detroit Hives

In 2016, deserted lots spread across the Detroit area like mushroom clusters. The city was at the peak of an abandonment crisis that had been growing for decades, steadily fed by economic and social factors. The rise of empty spaces was causing a variety of issues, from trash dumping and rodent infestation to a rise in local crime. Where most only saw ruin, two locals saw opportunity. When Timothy Paul Jackson read an article reporting Detroit had 90,000 vacant lots, some being sold by the city for as little as $100, he and Nicole Lindsey got an idea.

That something? Turn abandoned properties into apiaries. “At that time, the only revitalization we were seeing in our city or was hearing about was in Downtown Detroit through large corporations,” Timothy says. “Our goal was to provide a project that offered a triple bottom-line solution: providing social, environmental and ” Timothy and Nicole established nonpr

oit Hives, pur

beehives. “We’ve taken these vacant lots [and] transformed the spaces so that are inviting for not only the community but also our pollinators,” Timothy says. “Through bee conservation, we belie


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