Detroit, Michigan is one of many postindustrial cities plagued by a cycle of depopulation, disinvestment, and increasing land vacancy. Negative perceptions of vacant land exacerbate this problem because they hinder the public's ability to see such land as a potential resource. This thesis examines whether landscape architecture could counteract this perceptual obstacle, by devising a fallow state for vacant urban land. This fallow condition would be: long-term, restorative, transitional, adaptable, interactive, and true to a sense of place. A study of scholarly literature, periodicals, and case studies, along with personal interviews and the author's own explorations of Detroit, indicated that the proposed fallow state does hold promise as a catalyst for positive perceptual and physical change. The results also suggested it would be possible to develop a framework for systematic implementation of fallow urban land design on a citywide scale, although further research would be required first.