Urban Planning

Abandoned Home

Blight-Busting Demolitions Reduced Gun Injuries, Deaths in Detroit Neighborhoods

New Research from Marc Zimmerman

For the past half-decade, Detroit’s government and community groups have worked to tear down abandoned houses and buildings in the city’s most blight-stricken neighborhoods. A new University of Michigan and Harvard University study shows an 11% drop in homicides and serious injuries caused by firearms in the areas where more than a few demolitions took place

New York Fire Trucks

IN THE NEWS: Which Blare Project: Noisy New York Ponders Switch to Gentler Sirens

Rick Neitzel Quoted in the Guardian

New Yorkers are accustomed to hearing the rapid, pulsating “wail” and “yelp” sirens that echo around town. But for those who live near fire stations, police stations and hospitals, the sirens can seem like torture. Now a fresh campaign is under way to introduce softer, two-tone, European-style sirens.

Flint residents work in a community garden

Community Greening Efforts Help Reduce Violent Crime

New Research from Justin Heinze

Efforts to beautify vacant lots in the city of Flint have made neighborhoods more appealing but have also reduced assaults and violent crime by 40 percent, according to a new study led by Justin Heinze, assistant professor of Health Behavior and Health Education.