In long-established cities such as Detroit, MI, stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces (roads, roofs, etc.) is combined with sanitary waste and piped beneath the city to a wastewater treatment plant. These engineered methods of water management, termed gray infrastructure, currently dominate management practices but have drawbacks due to issues of cost, capacity, reliability, and maintenance requirements. In addition, combined sewer systems in cities like Detroit can become overwhelmed during extreme storm events, requiring the diversion of untreated sewage into local bodies of water. In a world of growing urbanization and intensifying storm events, the development of innovative approaches to stormwater management is expected to play a large role in mitigating negative environmental impacts from polluted urban runoff and flooding. The eco-friendly counterpart of gray infrastructure, known as green infrastructure (green roofs, rain gardens, bioswales, etc.), is an integrated approach to stormwater management that utilizes decentralized infiltration systems to mimic the natural processes of water filtration and deceleration. Correspondingly, our research focuses on a bioswale that was retrofitted into the center island of a previously designed parking lot in the post-industrial urban ecosystem of Detroit. The main goals of our work are to: 1) quantify potential pollutant removal, 2) quantify runoff infiltration capacity, and 3) provide qualitative insight into best management practices for future bioswale retrofits. We collected soil samples from 2 depths (30 and 45 cm) at 9 points from the bioswale for characterization (pH, organic matter, electric conductivity, and texture). We also collected and analyzed undisturbed soil cores with and without added metal contaminants common to Detroit and with a surface addition of biochar to test infiltration and determine the potential of increased contaminant sorption. The results will allow us to advance with an improved design and methodology and convey a strong argument for the expansion of bioswales and other forms of green infrastructure across the greater Detroit area, potentially leading to a more robust system of controlling stormwater that brings aesthetics, health, and a wide array of ecosystem services to a redeveloping concrete jungle.