Urban Gun Violence: Empty Lots, Green Spaces, and Other Ecologically Focused Interventions

The book proposes using participatory strategies to transform urban blight into sites of urban pride and reduce gun violence by enhancing green spaces. The past decade has seen an increase in the practice and scholarship of urban open and green spaces, which are often uplifted as having social, psychological, health, and economic benefits for residents. Vacant lots can influence gun violence, and converting them to green spaces has been seen as a means of addressing social problems, including reducing various forms of violence. The book aims to provide a state of the art picture of vacant lot and distressed properties conversion, use case illustrations to concretize values and practice techniques, identify the rewards and challenges of undertaking this form of practice, identify specific values and principles undergirding urban practice and vacant lots, provide readers with a grounding on the major strategies for reducing urban gun violence, and identify research and practice principles that can guide gun violence reduction interventions.

Format: Hardback
Length: 324 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

The proposed book aims to harness community spirit to transform urban blight into sites of urban pride, while also reducing gun violence. Over the past decade, there has been a growing emphasis on urban open and green spaces across the country, which are often celebrated for their multitude of social, psychological, health, and economic benefits for residents. These spaces have often emerged from vacant lots and distressed properties that have been torn down due to safety hazards. A review of the literature on the impact of vacant lots on health has revealed that they can influence a wide range of conditions, including attracting gun violence.

Enhancing green spaces, such as parks and gardens, where they exist, or introducing them where they do not through the conversion of lots, has become a central focus in urban communities of color as a means of addressing various social problems, including reducing various forms of violence. In instances where vacant lots are converted to green spaces, the benefits can be substantial. Urban green space environments promote trust, democratic principles, and resilience (Hoffman, 2019). This goal is worthy of attention for urban-focused researchers, practitioners, and academics.

This book seeks to accomplish six objectives:
1. Present a comprehensive state-of-the-art picture of vacant lot and distressed properties conversion.
2. Utilize case illustrations to concretely illustrate values and practice techniques.
3. Identify the rewards and challenges of undertaking this form of practice in reducing urban gun violence.
4. Identify specific values and principles that underpin urban practice and vacant lots.
5. Provide readers with a foundational understanding of the major strategies for converting vacant lots into green spaces.
6. Foster a sense of community engagement and ownership in the transformation of vacant lots into vibrant, safe, and sustainable urban environments.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538166451