Cleveland, like many cities, is in possession of numerous vacant lots -- 20,000 or so, say some estimates. Land banks, which purchase, raze and repurpose some parcels, is one solution. Urban farms are another.

In this lengthy essay in The New York Times, written by Michael Tortorello, another use of vacant land is discussed: ecological research.

"As it happens," reads the piece, "a team of local scientists has designated this accidental landscape an Urban Long-Term Research Area -- that is, Ultra. And having won a $272,000 exploratory award from the National Science Foundation, the researchers call their project Ultra-Ex. There's enough turf here for everybody: Ultra-Ex scientists are studying bird and insect populations, watershed systems, soil nematodes and urban farms.

Their mission? To document the ecological benefits that vacant lots might provide and to redefine the land, from neighborhood blight to community asset.

Read the compelling piece here.