Lessons Learned from a Citywide Abandoned Housing Experiment

Area of Science:

• Urban planning and public health
• Environmental criminology
• Community development

Background:

• Vacant and abandoned housing negatively impacts urban neighborhoods, contributing to health issues, reduced quality of life, increased violence, and further abandonment.
• Addressing abandoned housing requires cost-effective interventions that establish a visual sense of ownership and deter negative externalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the effectiveness of low-cost interventions for abandoned housing in reducing neighborhood disrepair, disorder, and public safety concerns.
• To evaluate the impact of remediating abandoned houses (e.g., installing secure windows and doors) versus trash cleanup on surrounding urban environments.

Main Methods:

• Employed an experimental design to assess the causal effects of municipal ordinance compliance for abandoned housing.
• Utilized systematic social observation to measure changes in disrepair, disorder, and litter at housing sites and city blocks.
• Analyzed police-reported data on gun violence and illegal substance use.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in neighborhood disrepair, disorder, and a reduction in gun violence following the remediation of abandoned houses.
• The interventions demonstrated a noticeable difference in the levels of disrepair and disorder compared to trash cleanup or no-intervention control groups.
• Experimental evaluations of place-based changes to the built environment proved beneficial.

Conclusions:

• Improving compliance with ordinances for abandoned housing remediation can substantially decrease neighborhood disrepair and enhance public safety.
• Planners can leverage field experiments with community partners to develop innovative, place-based solutions for urban disorder in disadvantaged communities.