Vacant urban land temporary use and neighborhood sustainability: A comparative study of two Midwestern cities

Vacant urban land is a significant barrier to sustainable neighborhood development, especially in Midwestern U.S. cities. Many scholars have noted that temporary use can alleviate vacant land's negative impact, thus enhancing local neighborhood sustainability. However, knowledge about the effectiveness of temporary use is scarce, with few studies having empirically compared the outcomes of temporary use versus a reduction in the vacant land ratio. This study employs a statistical approach to explore how vacant land and its temporary use are associated with critical neighborhood sustainability measures across environmental, social, and economic dimensions in two large Midwestern cities: Chicago, Illinois, and Columbus, Ohio. The two primary findings are: First, vacant land ratio reduction and temporary use, while associated with improvement of some neighborhood sustainability measures, may raise concerns with others. This suggests a comprehensive consideration balancing the effects across all three dimensions of neighborhood sustainability in vacant land repurposing practice and further studies. Moreover, this study highlights that high-quality temporary use, especially related to greening activities, if managed appropriately, could significantly contribute to sustainable neighborhood development. The findings expand the understanding of vacant land and temporary use, encouraging further studies and helping build more robust theories guiding vacant land repurposing practice.