Urban Planning
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I Wanted to Make My Community Safer and More Neighborly. The Advice I Got Surprised Me.
Marc Zimmerman Featured in NBC News
Professor Marc A. Zimmerman discusses how maintaining green spaces, creating busy streets and building a sense of community can reduce neighborhood crime. Read more
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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 Read more
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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. Read more
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Michigan Faculty Tackle Poverty in Detroit and Beyond
Poverty Solutions and Detroit URC grant-funded projects are helping to address housing stability, homelessness, energy poverty and more in Detroit, across Michigan, and throughout the country. Read more
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School of Public Health Takes First Place in Statewide Energy Competition
The University of Michigan is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 25 percent by 2025. The School of Public Health reduced energy consumption by over 34 percent in 2017, leading to an invitation to the Michigan Battle of the Buildings. Read more
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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. Read more
