Urban Health

Detroit skyline

Project HEARD Empowers Community Organizations for Effective Policy Change

The project utilizes community-academic partnerships to work toward defined policy goals set forth using a community-based participatory approach.

Project HEARD (Health Equity via Advocacy for Resources in Detroit), a Detroit URC policy initiative co-led by Michigan Public Health faculty and community partners, supports community-led efforts to advance health equity in Detroit and beyond.

An overgrown vacant lot

$1.2M grant to support research on vacant lot reuse and community violence prevention

A new study led by University of Michigan School of Public Health researchers will examine the impact of high vacancy in urban areas on the rate of violence. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provided a three-year grant of $1.2 million to investigate the short- and long-term effects of vacant lot reuse projects on total violent crime incidents and injury.