Many cities are finding that something as simple as
installing a split rail fence around a cleared and mowed vacant lot not
only fights urban blight, it can help fight crime, reported Stateline.
Inspired by a program in Philadelphia, cities such
as Cincinnati, Houston and New Orleans are using heavy equipment to clear,
grade and seed thousands of vacant lots, believing that empty properties with
head-high weeds, scrubby trees, trash and debris are excellent hiding places
for guns, drugs and criminal activity. After the initial cleanup, cities
partner with neighborhood groups and nonprofits to care for the lots, or in
some instances sell them to people who agree to maintain or develop them.
Installing a fence around a vacant lot can make a
huge difference by signaling that although a lot is vacant, it isn’t abandoned.
The theory, akin to the “broken windows” philosophy of policing, is that minor
crimes, such as littering and vandalism, are signs of social disorder that
often invite more serious crime.
“Without it, it’s as if the property has no
ownership and it’s open to any sort of activity,” said Debora Flora, executive
director of the Mahoning County Land Bank in Youngstown, Ohio, where 23,000
parcels of land are vacant.
In Philadelphia — where the LandCare
program maintains 12,000 lots, or more than a quarter of the city’s
vacant lots that have been graded, seeded and fenced since 2004 — cleaning up
and caring for empty property has proven to decrease crime and save the public
money.
A 2016 study by the University of Pennsylvania’s
Urban Health Lab showed that fixing up vacant lots reduced nearby gun violence by 5
percent, and putting functioning windows and doors in abandoned houses, instead
of boarding them up, cut nearby gun violence by 39 percent. The study also
found that every dollar Philadelphia spends on fixing up vacant lots saves
taxpayers $26 in reduced costs from gun violence.
To read more CLICK HERE
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment