Violence

An image of a vacant lot where a house once stood.

$2.2M Grant To Fund Research on Link Between Vacant Lot Reuse, Firearms Violence Reduction

New research from Justin Heinze

University of Michigan researchers received a $2.2 million grant to assess the effect of community-driven, vacant lot remediation and reclamation efforts on reductions in firearm-related injury and mortality. Led by Justin Heinze, assistant professor of Health Behavior & Health Education, the project builds on more than a decade of U-M research in Michigan exploring the effects of vacant lot reuse on youth violence.

Abandoned Home

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