Urban prairie

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Urban prairie is a term coined to characterize vacant lots with grass planted on them. These so called areas are not the same as a real prairie. In some cases, in major cities grass grows as parts on lots cleared to demolish condemned buildings.^[1] Some are planned by the government or non-profit groups for conservation, to restore or reintroduce a wildlife habitat, help the environment, and educate people about the prairie.^[2]^[3]

It is caused by large swaths of buildings are torn down or neglected. Part of the reason for this is that the value of the properties becomes too low to provide financial incentive for its owners to maintain and upkeep their buildings (in part due to high crime rates in the area). Some properties eventually may become abandoned. Some may be owned by the local government as response to unpaid property taxes. Abandoned buildings are used for criminal activity, and reasons such as this tend to prompt property demolition. Such areas become nothing more than fields of over-grown vegetation.

This, in turn, provides habitat for wildlife, whose populations start to increase.