64. Address Blight -- Get a Reduction in Firearm Violence / Misuse

Could the remediation of urban blight contribute to lessening firearm violence? First, the word remediate means to correct or improve a deficiency or problem. Might the sprucing up of the facade of an abandoned and blighted property and planting and maintaining vacant lots as acts of remediation create an urban built environment that lessens firearm violence? Would such remediation mitigate, reduce, or lessen firearm violence?

This question was examined in Philadelphia. A study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study was based upon the basic idea of if you isolate the latrine from the water source used by a household, does that eliminate cholera? Does the built urban environment affect the proclivity towards firearm misuse / violence?

The abandoned and blighted properties in Philadelphia were made presentable by painting the structures trim and using frosted plexiglas for the windows. From a moving vehicle the presentation is a useful structure. The plexiglas replaced plywood that was often weathered and worn. Vacant lots were cleaned up and planted becoming useful community green spaces for a neighborhood. The perimeter of the improved lot had low fences installed with access points large enough for riding mowers to gain access. That simple design prevented dumping refuse on the open space.

Abandoned and blighted properties represent millions of dollars in lost tax revenues and municipal costs for Philadelphia. They also erode community connectedness, create stress and fear among residents, and, given the findings of the stud, promote firearm violence. For these and other reasons, blight remediation programs have been recognized by multiple organizations interested in reducing violence and promoting urban health, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

The study made these conclusions: Simple remediation of abandoned buildings and vacant lots is a high value intervention to reduce firearm violence. By design, these remediation programs make structural improvements to the very context within which city residents are exposed on a daily basis. They involve straightforward, inexpensive, and reproducible implementation and maintenance protocols that are scalable to entire cities, ask little if anything of local residents to be sustained over time, and allow residents to remain in their neighborhoods without the need for expensive and unwanted relocation.

The whole study findings are available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5104992/