Three-city trial of greening, local engagement
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control (grant no. U01CE002698)
In partnership with the University of Michigan and Rutgers University, this project will study the effects of improving vacant properties on youth in Flint, Michigan, Youngstown, Ohio, and Camden, New Jersey. We will compare a community and youth-engaged approach to maintaining and improving vacant properties to similar maintenance implemented by contractors from outside the neighborhoods, and compare the effects of these two conditions to vacant lots that are unimproved. We will also survey over 100 communities nationwide who have implemented greening programs about their experiences and lessons learned.
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control (grant no. U01CE002698)
In partnership with the University of Michigan and Rutgers University, this project will study the effects of improving vacant properties on youth in Flint, Michigan, Youngstown, Ohio, and Camden, New Jersey. We will compare a community and youth-engaged approach to maintaining and improving vacant properties to similar maintenance implemented by contractors from outside the neighborhoods, and compare the effects of these two conditions to vacant lots that are unimproved. We will also survey over 100 communities nationwide who have implemented greening programs about their experiences and lessons learned.
Randomized trial of vacant lot greening
Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (grant nos. R49CE002474 and R01AA020331)
We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a vacant lot treatment process in Philadelphia that involves "cleaning and greening" the lots by removing debris, grading the land, planting grass and trees to create a park-like setting, and installing low wooden fences to show that the lot is cared for and to deter illegal dumping. This study will randomly assign hundreds of vacant lots to three trial arms: vacant lot stabilization (full treatment), trash clean-up only (trash control), and no vacant lot stabilization or clean-up (no treatment). Health and safety outcomes on or near the lots will be measured before and after treatment. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no prior experimental trials of vacant lot stabilization.
Urban land reuse with trees, gardens and farms
Funded by the US Forest Service and the National Institutes of Health (grant no. R01AA020331)
As part of the Youngstown, Ohio Lots of Green program, we studied hundreds of vacant lots that had undergone removal of debris, hazardous trees, foundations or driveways; addition of topsoil and grading of land; grass seeding and planting of new trees; addition of a permeable split-rail fence around the lot perimeter to prevent future driving or dumping on the lot; and regular maintenance. A community-led process was also studied that then further repurposed newly greened lots as community gardens, urban farms or orchards, sites for native plantings, athletic fields, and other uses. A quasi-experimental analysis to assess the four year impact of this land reuse program showed significant impact on select crime outcomes.
Funded by the US Forest Service and the National Institutes of Health (grant no. R01AA020331)
As part of the Youngstown, Ohio Lots of Green program, we studied hundreds of vacant lots that had undergone removal of debris, hazardous trees, foundations or driveways; addition of topsoil and grading of land; grass seeding and planting of new trees; addition of a permeable split-rail fence around the lot perimeter to prevent future driving or dumping on the lot; and regular maintenance. A community-led process was also studied that then further repurposed newly greened lots as community gardens, urban farms or orchards, sites for native plantings, athletic fields, and other uses. A quasi-experimental analysis to assess the four year impact of this land reuse program showed significant impact on select crime outcomes.
Green stormwater infrastructure, health and safety
Funded by the US Forest Service and the National Institutes of Health
(grant no. R01AA020331)
Municipalities have implemented green stormwater infrastructure to meet federal water quality standards. Such infrastructure has been promoted as having not only environmental, but also economic and health benefits. However, limited evidence exists in support of this. In a series of Philadelphia-based studies, we compared pre- and post-treatment health and safety outcome measures for randomly matched treatment and control sites and found that the installation of certain green infrastructures significantly impacted select health and safety outcomes.
Funded by the US Forest Service and the National Institutes of Health
(grant no. R01AA020331)
Municipalities have implemented green stormwater infrastructure to meet federal water quality standards. Such infrastructure has been promoted as having not only environmental, but also economic and health benefits. However, limited evidence exists in support of this. In a series of Philadelphia-based studies, we compared pre- and post-treatment health and safety outcome measures for randomly matched treatment and control sites and found that the installation of certain green infrastructures significantly impacted select health and safety outcomes.
Greening vacant urban spaces for health and safety
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control (grant no. U49CE001093)
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the City of Philadelphia direct a program to clean, green, and maintain abandoned vacant lots. These vacant lot treatments produce immediately noticeable, visually dramatic results, are straightforward to implement, cost little, and are responsive to community concerns. We conducted a decade-long difference-in-differences analysis of the impact of this vacant lot greening program on health and safety outcomes. Pre-post outcome differences among treated vacant lots, totaling almost 8 million square feet, were compared with matched control vacant lots. Vacant lot greening was associated with significant reductions in gun assaults, vandalism, stress and sedentary behavior.
Visual environments in cities and child health
Funded by the National Institutes of Health (grant nos. R01AA016187, R01AA0161S2 )
Many adolescents may risk injury simply by being in a family or a neighborhood environment where risk factors are present, regardless of their personal behaviors. We rapidly ascertained the injury times and locations of hundreds of adolescent cases of injury. We then surveyed randomly selected adolescent controls who had not been injured as to their locations and exposures at the time of a matching case’s injury. Pictometry – analyzing and quantifying photographs of the microspatial environment – was used to identify neighborhood factors at the level of buildings, curbsides, and specific parcels of land. Visual inspection via pictometry identified modifiable microspatial factors that significantly increased the risk of adolescent injury.
Kondo MC, South EC, Branas CC, Richmond TS, Wiebe DJ. The association between urban tree cover and gun assault: a case-control and casecrossover study. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2017.
Kondo, M.C., Han, S., Donovan, G. H., MacDonald, J. M. The Association between Urban Trees and Crime: Evidence from the Spread of the Emerald Ash Borer in Cincinnati. Landscape and Urban Planning 157 (2017): 193-99.
Branas CC, Jacoby S, Andreyeva E: Firearm violence as a disease - "hot people" or "hot spots"? JAMA Internal Medicine 177(1): 1-2, 2017.
Hohl BC, Wiley S, Wiebe DJ, Culyba AJ, Drake R, Branas CC. Association of Drug and Alcohol Use With Adolescent Firearm Homicide at Individual, Family, and Neighborhood Levels. JAMA Internal Medicine 177(3): 317-324, 2017.
Branas CC, Kondo MC, Murphy SM, South EC, Polsky D, MacDonald JM. Urban blight remediation as a cost-beneficial solution to firearm violence. American Journal of Public Health 106(10): 1-7, 2016.
Culyba AJ, Jacoby S, Richmond TS, Fein JA, Hohl BC, Branas CC: Modifiable environmental features related to adolescent homicide. JAMA Pediatrics 170(5): 473-480, 2016.
Kondo MC, Han S, Hohl B, Branas CC: Effects of greening and community reuse of vacant lots on crime. Urban Studies 52(15): 1-17, 2015.
Kondo MC, South EG, Branas CC: Nature-based strategies for improving urban health and safety. Journal of Urban Health 92(5): 800-814, 2015.
South EC, Kondo MC, Cheney RA, Branas CC: Neighborhood blight, stress, and health: A walking trial of urban greening and ambulatory heart rate. American Journal of Public Health 105(5): e1-5, 2015.
Kondo MC, Low S, Henning J, Branas CC. The impact of green stormwater infrastructure installation on surrounding health and safety. American Journal of Public Health; 105(3): 114-121, 2015.
South E. Urban greening: a solution to blight and toxic stress? Penn Institute for Urban Research working paper, September 9, 2015.
Branas CC, MacDonald JM. A simple strategy to transform health, all over the place. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 20(2): 157-159, 2014
Branas CC. Safe and healthy places are made, not born. Penn Institute for Urban Research working paper. May 1, 2013.
Garvin E, Cannuscio CC, Branas CC. Greening vacant lots to reduce violent crime: A randomised controlled trial. Injury Prevention 19(3): 198-203, 2013.
Branas CC, Gracia N, Rubin D, Guo W. Vacant properties and violence in neighborhoods. ISRN Public Health 10: 1-23, 2013.
Garvin E, Branas CC, Keddem S, Sellman J, Cannuscio C. More than just an eyesore: local insights and solutions on vacant land and urban health. Journal of Urban Health 12(7): 9782-7, 2012.
McDonald CC, Richmond TS, Guerra T, Thomas NA, Walker A, Branas CC, TenHave TR, Vaughn NA, Leff SS, Hausman AJ. Methods for linking community views to measureable outcomes in a youth violence prevention program. Progress in Community Health Partnerships 6(4): 499-506, 2012.
Branas CC, Cheney RA, MacDonald JM, Tam VW, Jackson TD, Ten Have TR. A difference-in-differences analysis of health, safety, and greening vacant urban space. American Journal of Epidemiology 174: 1-11, 2011.
Hausman AJ, Hohl B, Hanlon AL, Becker J, Branas CC, Hayden UT, Thomas N, Fein JA. Translating community-specified indicators of program success into measurable outcomes. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 15(6):E22-30, 2009.
Kondo, M.C., Han, S., Donovan, G. H., MacDonald, J. M. The Association between Urban Trees and Crime: Evidence from the Spread of the Emerald Ash Borer in Cincinnati. Landscape and Urban Planning 157 (2017): 193-99.
Branas CC, Jacoby S, Andreyeva E: Firearm violence as a disease - "hot people" or "hot spots"? JAMA Internal Medicine 177(1): 1-2, 2017.
Hohl BC, Wiley S, Wiebe DJ, Culyba AJ, Drake R, Branas CC. Association of Drug and Alcohol Use With Adolescent Firearm Homicide at Individual, Family, and Neighborhood Levels. JAMA Internal Medicine 177(3): 317-324, 2017.
Branas CC, Kondo MC, Murphy SM, South EC, Polsky D, MacDonald JM. Urban blight remediation as a cost-beneficial solution to firearm violence. American Journal of Public Health 106(10): 1-7, 2016.
Culyba AJ, Jacoby S, Richmond TS, Fein JA, Hohl BC, Branas CC: Modifiable environmental features related to adolescent homicide. JAMA Pediatrics 170(5): 473-480, 2016.
Kondo MC, Han S, Hohl B, Branas CC: Effects of greening and community reuse of vacant lots on crime. Urban Studies 52(15): 1-17, 2015.
Kondo MC, South EG, Branas CC: Nature-based strategies for improving urban health and safety. Journal of Urban Health 92(5): 800-814, 2015.
South EC, Kondo MC, Cheney RA, Branas CC: Neighborhood blight, stress, and health: A walking trial of urban greening and ambulatory heart rate. American Journal of Public Health 105(5): e1-5, 2015.
Kondo MC, Low S, Henning J, Branas CC. The impact of green stormwater infrastructure installation on surrounding health and safety. American Journal of Public Health; 105(3): 114-121, 2015.
South E. Urban greening: a solution to blight and toxic stress? Penn Institute for Urban Research working paper, September 9, 2015.
Branas CC, MacDonald JM. A simple strategy to transform health, all over the place. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 20(2): 157-159, 2014
Branas CC. Safe and healthy places are made, not born. Penn Institute for Urban Research working paper. May 1, 2013.
Garvin E, Cannuscio CC, Branas CC. Greening vacant lots to reduce violent crime: A randomised controlled trial. Injury Prevention 19(3): 198-203, 2013.
Branas CC, Gracia N, Rubin D, Guo W. Vacant properties and violence in neighborhoods. ISRN Public Health 10: 1-23, 2013.
Garvin E, Branas CC, Keddem S, Sellman J, Cannuscio C. More than just an eyesore: local insights and solutions on vacant land and urban health. Journal of Urban Health 12(7): 9782-7, 2012.
McDonald CC, Richmond TS, Guerra T, Thomas NA, Walker A, Branas CC, TenHave TR, Vaughn NA, Leff SS, Hausman AJ. Methods for linking community views to measureable outcomes in a youth violence prevention program. Progress in Community Health Partnerships 6(4): 499-506, 2012.
Branas CC, Cheney RA, MacDonald JM, Tam VW, Jackson TD, Ten Have TR. A difference-in-differences analysis of health, safety, and greening vacant urban space. American Journal of Epidemiology 174: 1-11, 2011.
Hausman AJ, Hohl B, Hanlon AL, Becker J, Branas CC, Hayden UT, Thomas N, Fein JA. Translating community-specified indicators of program success into measurable outcomes. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 15(6):E22-30, 2009.
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Have an exciting urban development program that needs a scientist?
Want to replicate something here in your city? Email us.
Want to replicate something here in your city? Email us.
