Post-industrial cities like Buffalo have thousands of vacant lots, many of them owned by the city. Typically these are eyesores with nothing but grass and weeds that must be mowed often and that collect trash and depress civic morale and property values. Philadelphia and other cities have had some success with “clean and green” strategies. What are low-cost, low-maintenance, sustainable strategies for vacant lots that can help reduce air and water pollution while also improving neighborhoods and creating jobs? Are there viable ground-cover options better than grasss? What are best tree-planting strategies? Is it viable to plant food sources that would be freely available to nearby residents (i.e., fruits, berries)?