LAUSR

Abstract In the Great Lakes Basin, a legacy of industrial use and localised depopulation has created a unique set of needs around storm water management and neighbourhood stabilisation. Vast quantities of vacant land present an opportunity for projects that can address either or both problems. Urban vacant land has its challenges: decision-making related to selecting project sites is complicated, and the structure and distribution of vacant land favour small projects that can work in aggregate. Here, we describe decision-making for two storm water management projects that utilise small, distributed vacant parcels in Great Lakes cities. The first showcases the collection of novel data that were standardised among sites and users. The second utilises a hierarchical approach to data analysis that exploits available data-sets and could be applied at increasingly finer spatial scales. Both projects prioritise components of site selection processes that could have broader applicability basin-wide.