More than just an eyesore: local insights and solutions on vacant land and urban health

Modifiable Neighborhood Features Associated With Adolescent Homicide

IMPORTANCE

Homicide is a leading cause of adolescent mortality. To our knowledge, relatively little has been studied in terms of the association between environmental neighborhood features, such as streets, buildings, and natural surroundings, and severe violent injury among youth.

OBJECTIVE

To assess associations between environmental neighborhood features and adolescent homicide in order to identify targets for future place-based interventions.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Population-based case-control study conducted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from April 15, 2008, to March 31, 2014. We identified adolescents who died by homicide at 13 to 20 years of age from 2010 to 2012 while residing in Philadelphia. We used incidence-density sampling and random-digit dialing to recruit control participants ages 13 to 20 years matched on sex and indoor-outdoor location at the time of each index case participant's homicide.

EXPOSURES

To obtain environmental data about modifiable features that were present in the immediate surroundings of our case and control participants, blinded field researchers used standardized techniques to photograph case and control participant outdoor locations. Photographic data were stitched together to create 360° panoramic images that were coded for 60 elements of the visible environment.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE

Adolescent homicide.

RESULTS

We enrolled 143 homicide case participants (mean [SD] age, 18.4 [1.5] years) and 155 matched control participants (mean [SD] age, 17.2 [2.1] years) who were both outdoors at the time of the homicide. In adjusted analyses, multiple features of Philadelphia streets, buildings, and natural surroundings were associated with adolescent homicide. The presence of street lighting (odds ratio [OR], 0.24; 95% CI, 0.09-0.70), illuminated walk/don't walk signs (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03-0.92), painted marked crosswalks (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.04-0.63), public transportation (OR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.03-0.49), parks (OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01-0.88), and maintained vacant lots (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.03-0.81) were significantly associated with decreased odds of homicide. The odds of homicide were significantly higher in locations with stop signs (OR, 4.34; 95% CI, 1.40-13.45), security bars/gratings on houses (OR, 9.23; 95% CI, 2.45-34.80), and private bushes/plantings (OR, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.18-10.01).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Using a population-based case-control design, we identified multiple modifiable environmental features that might be targeted in future randomized intervention trials designed to reduce youth violence by improving neighborhood context.

Nature-Based Strategies for Improving Urban Health and Safety

Place-based programs are being noticed as key opportunities to prevent disease and promote public health and safety for populations at-large. As one key type of place-based intervention, nature-based and green space strategies can play an especially large role in improving health and safety for dwellers in urban environments such as US legacy cities that lack nature and greenery. In this paper, we describe the current understanding of place-based influences on public health and safety. We focus on nonchemical environmental factors, many of which are related to urban abandonment and blight. We then review findings from studies of nature-based interventions regarding impacts on health, perceptions of safety, and crime. Based on our findings, we suggest that further research in this area will require (1) refined measures of green space, nature, and health and safety for cities, (2) interdisciplinary science and cross-sector policy collaboration, (3) observational studies as well as randomized controlled experiments and natural experiments using appropriate spatial counterfactuals and mixed methods, and (4) return-on-investment calculations of potential economic, social, and health costs and benefits of urban greening initiatives.

Neighborhood-level associations with HIV infection among young men who have sex with men in Chicago

The rising incidence of HIV infection among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) is a substantial public health concern. Traditional research on HIV among YMSM has focused largely on individual-level predictors and infrequently accounts for contextual or neighborhood-level factors such as ethnic composition and socioeconomic status. This study used neighborhood-level data from the US Census and other public sources, and individual-level data from a longitudinal cohort of YMSM in Chicago (Crew 450). Of the original 450 YMSM in the cohort, 376 reported living in Chicago (83.6 %) and were included in the analytic sample. A clustering approach was used to group the 77 community areas together by common characteristics, resulting in the identification of 11 distinct clusters. An unconditional model of individual HIV status indicated a significant amount of variance existed between neighborhood clusters (χ (2) = 21.66; p = 0.006). When individual-level variables were added to the model, only having an HIV-positive sex partner (OR = 6.41; CI 2.40, 17.1) and engaging in exchange sex in the past 6 months (OR = 3.25; 95 % CI 1.33, 7.93) were significant predictors of HIV status. Clusters with higher Walk Scores were less likely to contain HIV-positive individuals (OR = 0.94; 95 % CI 0.90, 0.98). Conversely, clusters with a larger proportion of vacant buildings were more likely to contain HIV-positive individuals (OR = 1.19; 95 % CI 1.07, 1.33). Future research among YMSM needs to investigate the mechanisms by which neighborhood of residence might influence engagement in risk behaviors or acquisition of HIV.

A Difference-In-Differences Study of the Effects of a New Abandoned Building Remediation Strategy on Safety

Vacant and abandoned buildings pose significant challenges to the health and safety of communities. In 2011 the City of Philadelphia began enforcing a Doors and Windows Ordinance that required property owners of abandoned buildings to install working doors and windows in all structural openings or face significant fines. We tested the effects of the new ordinance on the occurrence of crime surrounding abandoned buildings from January 2011 to April 2013 using a difference-in-differences approach. We used Poisson regression models to compare differences in pre- and post-treatment measures of crime for buildings that were remediated as a result of the ordinance (n = 676) or permitted for renovation (n = 241), and randomly-matched control buildings that were not remediated (n = 676) or permitted for renovation (n = 964), while also controlling for sociodemographic and other confounders measured around each building. Building remediations were significantly associated with citywide reductions in overall crimes, total assaults, gun assaults and nuisance crimes (p <0.001). Building remediations were also significantly associated with reductions in violent gun crimes in one city section (p <0.01). At the same time, some significant increases were seen in narcotics sales and possession and property crimes around remediated buildings (p <0.001). Building renovation permits were significantly associated with reductions in all crime classifications across multiple city sections (p <0.001). We found no significant spatial displacement effects. Doors and windows remediation offers a relatively low-cost method of reducing certain crimes in and around abandoned buildings. Cities with an abundance of decaying and abandoned housing stock might consider some form of this structural change to their built environments as one strategy to enhance public safety.

Neighborhood blight, stress, and health: a walking trial of urban greening and ambulatory heart rate

We measured dynamic stress responses using ambulatory heart rate monitoring as participants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania walked past vacant lots before and after a greening remediation treatment of randomly selected lots. Being in view of a greened vacant lot decreased heart rate significantly more than did being in view of a nongreened vacant lot or not in view of any vacant lot. Remediating neighborhood blight may reduce stress and improve health.

“It Seems Like No One Cares”

This article presents findings from a Participatory Photo Mapping (PPM) project designed to understand young people’s perceptions of the neighborhood environment. PPM is an approach that integrates photography, community mapping, and walk-along interviews to learn about people’s lived experience in a spatial context. Ten participants aged 14 to 17 years were recruited from a youth program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Participants designed neighborhood tours and through their analysis, identified vacant properties as a key concern. They reported that vacant properties affect them personally by facilitating illicit drug activity and perpetuating the sense that “people don’t care” about their neighborhood. Furthermore, they described their own role in changing their neighborhood to improve environmental conditions. These findings add qualitative support to the notion that teenagers’ own perceptions of neighborhood features may have an impact on outcomes such as anxiety and hopelessness and suggest implications for engaging youth in assessing and intervening in their neighborhood environment.

Parental perceptions of the impacts the built environment has on young children׳s health: a qualitative examination and lay assessment amongst residents in four Scottish communities

The built environment is important for children׳s health and development. Qualitative research in four communities in Scotland explored with groups of parents of young children their lay perceptions of their local environment with specific reference to its impact upon their children׳s health. Valuing most strong supportive communities; good quality public spaces and social housing, parents׳ key concerns included anti-social behaviour, incivility and a range of locally-specific concerns. As knowledgeable key gatekeepers to children׳s use of home environments and public spaces, parent׳s qualitative lay input is important for the development of children׳s effective use of outdoor spaces and the built environment over the long term.

The associations between park environments and park use in southern US communities

PURPOSE

To document park use and park and neighborhood environment characteristics in rural communities, and to examine the relationship between park characteristics and park use.

METHODS

The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities measured use in 42 target areas across 6 community parks in May 2010 and October 2010. Direct observation instruments were used to assess park and neighborhood environment characteristics. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between the condition, number of amenities, and number of incivilities in a target area with target area use.

FINDINGS

Ninety-seven people were observed across all parks during May 2010 data collection and 116 people during October 2010 data collection. Low park quality index scores and unfavorable neighborhood environment characteristics were observed. There was a significant positive association between number of incivilities in a target area and target area use (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.09-3.38; P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS

The number of people observed using the parks in this study was low, and it was considerably less than the number observed in other studies. The objective park and neighborhood environment characteristics documented in this study provide a more comprehensive understanding of parks than other studies. Further examining the complex relationship between park and neighborhood environment characteristics and park use is important, as it can inform park administrators and city planners of characteristics that are best able to attract visitors.