Rex LaMore, senior specialist-outreach, Urban & Regional Planning Program, and director, MSU Center for Community & Economic Development, made this presentation at the MSU Bioeconomy Institute in Holland, Mich., on domicology, the study of policies, practices, and consequences of structural abandonment.

1. Domicology: A Comprehensive
Approach to Structural
Abandonment
October 11, 2017
Rex LaMore Ph.D.
Center for Community and Economic Development
Michigan State University

2. Overview
In this session we will:
• Examine the nature and scope of structural
abandonment
• Discuss the social, economic and environmental
consequences associated with abandonment
• Proposes innovative policies and practices for removal
of abandoned structures and a new built environment
paradigm
• Discuss the results of a feasibility study conducted for
Muskegon, Michigan and possible areas of future
research

3. Causes of Abandonment
• Structural abandonment occurs for a
number of reasons and to all types of
properties
– Depopulation
– Disinvestment
– Industrial decline
– Natural and Man-made disasters (conflict/war)

4. Structural Abandonment in
the United States
• 7.4 million homes that are
currently vacant and not
being marketed for sale or
rent in 2012 (The Joint
Center for Housing Studies
of Harvard University ).
• nearly 40 percent of the
nation’s vacant homes are
located in just 10 percent of
all census tracts (Duke
2012).
Residential Properties Vacancy
Source: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-24/news/sns-rt-us-usa-
detroit-blight-20130724_1_blight-removal-blight-problem-urban-blight

5. • 267 automotive plants
have closed across the
country, nearly 60% of the
original 447 plants
constructed since 1979.
• 22% of Industrial Zoned
Land in Detroit is Vacant
Automotive and Autocaptive Plants
(1979-2011)
United States Michigan
In Operation 180 65
Total Closed 267 105
Repurposed 132 N/A
Remain Closed 135 N/A
Total Plants Constructed 447 170
Source: Burgeman, et al., 2011
Source: http://sometimes-interesting.com/2011/08/15/largest-
abandoned-factory-in-the-world-the-packard-factory-detroit/
Industrial Sites Vacancy
Largest Abandoned Factory in the
World
-- Packard's Detroit plant
•opened in 1903 and closed in 1956
•would cost over $10 million to raze it

6. • More than two dozen malls have shut down in the last four years and
another 60 malls are on the brink of death (New York Times Report)
• It is estimated in Detroit, Michigan that 36% of commercial properties
are vacant (Detroit Works Project 2012)
Commercial Properties Vacancy
5.4%
4.8%
4%
4.1%
4.5%
9.1%
9%
9.3%
9.6%
10.3%
10.2%
10.2%
10.3%
11.1%
12.3%
12.3%
12%
12.6%
14.2%
15.5%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0%
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
Vacancy rate
Apartment Retail Industrial Office
U.S. vacancy rate forecast for commercial property from 2012 to 2016, by type*
Source: United States; RREEF Real Estate, Deutsche Bank Group; IHS Global Insight; As of 2012

7. Detroit Blight Removal Task Force Report
http://report.timetoe
ndblight.org/

10. • Where substantial abandonment exists we also are likely to observe
limited economic and social opportunity and an increase in
poverty rates (Galster, 1995)
• The concentration of abandonment can lead to a concentration of
poverty which results in myriad other social negative indicators such
as higher crime rates, poorer educational performance,
increased single parent families (Orfield, 1997).
Social Impacts
Foreclosure, Crime, and Unemployment Rates
City Foreclosure Rates
2008
Crime Index per 100,000
inhabitants 2008
Unemployment Rate
16 year and older 2008
Detroit 16.0% 5,295 20.4%
Flint 12.8% 5,530 18.5%
Lansing 9.3% 2,938 9.6%
Grand Rapids 8.0% 3,050 9.4%
Ann Arbor 4.1% 1,241 6.0%
Source: (USA.com, 2008), (US Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2008), (United States Census Bureau, 2008)

11. Social Impacts
• Vacant and abandoned housing is an indicator of
neighborhood distress.
• “Concentrated poverty multiplies the severity of problems
faced by communities and poor individuals. As
neighborhoods become dominated by joblessness, racial
segregation, and single parentage, they become isolated
from middle-class society and the private economy”
(Orfield, 1997, p. 18).

12. Health Impacts
• Lead and asbestos are highly dangerous health and
safety hazards and found in many structures.
• Lead can cause lifelong learning and behavioral
problems in children if they are exposed at a young
age. Asbestos is a carcinogen.
• Demolition can produce large amounts of ambient
lead and asbestos dust.
• Pre-removal of asbestos by certified workers is often
required (increases cost of demolition and
deconstruction
• Demolition done using a “wetting” process can reduce
these hazards, but does not eliminate lead dust
completely (Matheny, 2015).

13. Health Impacts
• Industrial and commercial sites may contain other
contaminates.
– There are approximately 500,000 sites considered
brownfields in the U.S. ( Detroit 500 industrial and
commercial abandoned sites some of which are
brownfields)
– Only 3.5% of toxic materials generated are recycled

14. • The full cost of demolishing an average residential property is
around $12,619 (City of Detroit-Blight Taskforce 2016)
• The removal of all the currently estimated abandoned residential
properties (7.4 million) could cost over $88 billion dollars (not
including brownfield remediation costs)
• Abandoned properties inherently decrease the tax revenues
available to public entities to support public safety, debt
retirement, public works maintenance and other critical social
needs.
• The City of Detroit, Michigan filed for bankruptcy on July 2013. In
part due to loss of property tax revenues from abandonment
Economic Impacts

15. Property Values Associated with Blight
• “on average, commercial and
industrial properties near
brownfields are 10% lower in
property values” (Paul, 2008)
• Property values within a 1.5 mile
radius increase by at least 10%
when a brownfield parcel is
redeveloped (Paul, 2008)
300 feet
150 feet
Abandoned
Property
Mean sales price:
$ 61,468
450 feet
-$7,627
-$6,819
-$3,542
Source: Vacant Properties: the True costs to Communities, National Properties Campaign, August 2005

16. • The US Environmental Protect
Agency estimates that 136
million tons of construction and
demolition waste are generated
each year. This volume of waste
constitutes approximately ¼ of
all landfill waste.
Environmental Impacts
• Hazardous materials increase
the potential for public health
concerns and substantially
increasing the public costs of
demolition and clean up.

17. Environmental Impacts: Landfills
(Excludes debris associated with natural or man-made disasters)
• In 2013, an estimated 530 million tons of C&D debris
was generated in the United States, more than double
the amount of other municipal solid waste.
• Demolition debris from abandoned properties alone
generates 136 million tons of waste each year,
constituting ¼ of all landfill waste in the U.S.
• Michigan has approximately 27 years of remaining
noncaptive disposal capacity statewide
– Approx. 13 % of Michigan’s waste stream by volume is C&D
– Muskegon County has an estimated 5yrs of capacity left in its
landfill

18. Rethinking our current Paradigm

19. The Alternative Paradigm
Private Sector
constructs
facility and
incorporates
in business
plan cost to
fund
deconstruction
Private
Sector ends
business
operations
at the facility
Abandoned
structure
deconstructed
with funds
from the
insurance
The parcel
is returned
to the
original
state
Blight
prevented!
The consumer
assumes cost
of
deconstruction
NOT
GENERAL
TAXPAYER!

20. U.S. Precedents in Removing Abandoned
Structure
Industry Policy
Cellular Towers
Local ordinances require a performance bond to ensure the
decommissioning of the tower
Electricity generating
wind turbines
Operator must post performance bond for deconstruction at the
issuance of the permit
Landfills
Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act - perpetual care
fund for their closure and monitoring for the 30 years after they cease
operation
Oil Rigs
The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement requires the
plan for decommissioning at the time of the initial Right-Of-Way or
Right-Of-Use-and-Easement
Mining Reclamation
Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SCMRA) of 1977
Trans Alaska
Pipeline System
Requirements for the dismantling, removal, and restoration are outlined
in the grant and lease agreement with both the federal and state
governments

21. MUSKEGON
DECONSTRUCTION ECONOMIC
CLUSTER FEASIBILITY STUDY
MichiganStateUniversityCenterforCommunityandEconomicDevelopment
&WestMichiganRegionalShorelineDevelopmentCommission

22. Purpose
• The Muskegon Deconstruction Feasibility study was
designed to examine the feasibility of deconstruction as an
alternative solution to the economic, social, and
environmental problem of structural abandonment.
• Focuses on Midwest legacy cities with high concentrations
of structural abandonment.
• Tests the economic feasibility of using deconstruction
practices rather than demolition as a way to reduce blight.
• Explores the feasibility of establishing a deconstruction
based, repurposing sector economy in Muskegon,
Michigan.

23. The Catchment Area
• The catchment area included:
– Ashtabula County,
– the City of Buffalo,
– the City of Chicago,
– the City of Cleveland,
– the City of Detroit,
– the City of Milwaukee,
– Muskegon County,
– the City of Toledo
– two amalgamated areas: the cities of Portage and Gary, and Bay County and the
cities of Saginaw and Midland.

24. Abandonment in the Catchment Area
• As a region, the Midwest is estimated to have
3,481,986 vacant housing units, large portions of
which are concentrated in the Chicago [341,014],
Cleveland [155,403], and Detroit [221,533]
metropolitan areas (U.S. Census, 2015).
• Commercial and industrial abandonment is defined
and measured differently than residential vacancies,
and is therefore difficult to measure in an aggregate
statistic. This makes cost/benefit analysis of
deconstruction in large Midwestern cities with high
concentrations of residential, commercial, and
industrial abandonment difficult.

26. Domicology
• Domicologists seek in structural design and
demolition to:
– Reduce the use of non-renewable materials where
possible.
– Increase the use of renewable/ re-usable materials
• Develop construction methods that maximize the capacity to
remove materials from structures with minimal damage
– Use screws rather that glue to connect materials
– Devise new adhesives that hold securely when needed but allow
for de-bonding of materials when desired.
– Reduce the amount of material entering landfills through
increasing reuse and recycling

27. The current state of material salvage
• The value of salvaged materials is highly variable
depending on their condition, potential end use and the
material supply chain.
• The process of salvaging materials requires time, a
skilled labor force, a “downstream” supply chain,
vision and resources.
• The salvage/reuse supply chain is a nascent system
both in the supply and demand of materials

28. The Nascent Supply Chain
Architectural Salvage-
Detroit Re-use:
• salvages materials and
brings them back into the
market place in principally
the same use as
previously used.
– Habitats for Humanity Re-
use Centers
– Others

29. Material Recycling Potential
• Wood
– Wood Pellet Manufacturing
– Torrefied Wood
– Composite/Engineered Wood Products
• Cross laminated lumber research

30. Material Recovery Process: The “Three Skim
Paradigm”
• The “three skim paradigm” is a term used to explain
the unpermitted (illegal) and permitted
deconstruction activities that occur once a house is
abandoned, and usually, no longer habitable.
1. First Skim: Removal of metal items
2. Second Skim: Items of architectural value
3. Third skim: Everything that’s left

31. First Skim: Removal of metal items
• The first phase of the skim is typically illegal activity that
takes place within days, if not weeks, of a property
becoming abandoned.
• Opportunists known as “scrappers” break into a house
and extract all of the easily salvaged materials, such as:
– Copper wiring
– Stainless steel fixtures
– Cast-iron pipes

32. Second Skim: Items of architectural value
• In the second skim, items of architectural value are
removed from the residence for reuse. Second skim
materials have value due to their unique attributes.
– Fireplace mantels
– Wood molding
– Carved bannisters
– Kitchen and bathroom cabinets and fixtures
– Lighting
– Architecturally valuable windows and doors
– Finished hardwood flooring

33. Third skim: Everything that’s left
• The third skim encompasses all remaining materials that are usually
too dangerous and time-consuming to salvage without professional
training.
– Dimensional lumber
– Antique timber framing
– Brick, stone, lath and plaster
– Asphalt shingle roofing
– PVC or vinyl flooring
– Ceramic tiles
• Asbestos and lead are common hazardous substances found in this
stage of the skim.
• In most cases this is what is being deposited in landfills today.

35. High-volume/low-value materials
• The materials salvaged in the third skim are typically
high-volume/low-value materials that are more suitable
for “repurposing” rather than reuse.
• The value of the third skim materials lies in their product
volume and potential for repurposing.
– They can also reduce raw material extraction and reduce landfill
use.

36. Types of Third Skim Materials in Abandoned
Houses
• The most ubiquitous material found in abandoned houses
is wood. This exists in structural (i.e., framing members,
roof trusses, floor joists) and non-structural (i.e., roof and
wall sheathing, fireplace mantles, flooring, siding,
trim/architectural material) forms.
• Other materials include:
– Gypsum boards or plaster and lathe (found in interior walls)
– Asphalt shingles, asphaltic and asbestos-based siding products
– Wood, vinyl, and aluminum siding
– Brick

38. Volume of Material in the Great Lakes Region

39. Great Lakes Shipping Potential
• Our initial target for
the feasibility study
was Muskegon
Michigan.
– Muskegon has a deep
draft port
– Shipping is the most
energy efficient form of
transport for high
volume materials
– Truck and train were
also considered

40. A MATERIAL REUSE
ECONOMIC SECTOR:
FINDINGS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

41. Findings
• Scale of Abandonment:
– There appears to be sufficient high-volume/low-value
materials to sustain a deconstruction sector.
• Transportation:
– Limited shipping capacity for structural debris in part due to
the shipping capacity of the Great Lakes which is primarily
bulk hold shipping rather than container shipping (preferred
for material debris).
– Truck transport of materials is feasible in most cases and may
be more appropriate in gathering the material from dispersed
sites.
• Current Methods of Removing Abandoned Structures:
– The current practice of removing abandoned structures is
heavily weighted toward demolition, which limits the capacity
to extract materials.
• Low tipping fees in the region also lead to low rates of separation, recycling, and
repurposing of structural materials, particularly the third skim (high-volume/low-value)
materials.

42. Findings (cont’d)
• The Potential for Material Reuse and
Repurposing:
– The Midwest has, with some exceptions (where first and
second skim materials are collected and repurposed), a weak
materials reuse/repurposing supply chain.
– Wood and brick show the most immediate promise.
– There are industries globally that have developed
methods and markets for repurposing the high volume
low value materials.
– The job potential for the deconstruction sector is
promising.

43. Potential product research areas:
• Adhesives & other connectors
– Adhesives that can be easily dissembled and removed
– Connectors that hold when needed and can be reused
• Asphalt shingles
– How can we engineer this recycled asphalt material so that
it is less brittle and more durable?
– How can we improve energy efficiency during the process
of recycling asphalt shingles?
• PVC
– In cleaning the PVC for recycling the chemical cleaning can
produce toxic dioxide emissions.Can we create a cleaner
and more efficient chemical recycling process?

44. Other research and outreach activities
• Conduct a material reuse supply chain analysis
• Determine the current status of training suppliers and training content
for deconstruction labor
• Determine and compare cost and time aspects of demolition vs.
deconstruction
• Assess the role of increased automation/technology in deconstruction
• Identify industrial-scale and high-value options for repurposing low-
value salvaged materials
• Assess the potential for deconstruction and material recovery during
disaster response operations
• Increase public awareness of the unsustainable nature of the current
built environment paradigm and build networks of researchers,
practitioners, policy makers, and industry leaders to discuss
opportunities and challenges in advancing a structural life cycle
paradigm

45. Policy Opportunities
• Local:
– Adopt ordinances to increase the use of recycled C&D material
in new construction and reduce material waste on new
construction sites.
– Support Design for Deconstruction (DfD) practices in any new
public structures that are built.
• State:
– Encourage deconstruction rather than demolition.
– Increase debris tipping fees to incentivize reuse.
– Adopt building codes that encourage DfD and material reuse
– Target structural material Reuse/Repurposing Industries in your
economic development and skill trades training activites.
• National:
– Adopt an “abandoned structures” policy that shifts the costs of
structural removal from the public sector to private sector.
– Support research on the tools, models, policies and practices that
advance the science of Domicology.

47. Comments?