The city of Philadelphia's Doors and Windows Ordinance applied the Broken Windows Theory to positive results.
"To remediate dilapidated neighborhoods, four years ago Philadelphia passed an ordinance requiring vacant property owners to make simple, cheap renovations to building fronts," according to an article by Kate Wheeling, and the results have been solidly positive.
A team of researchers evaluated the abandoned building remediation strategy, enabled by the 2011 Doors and Windows Ordinance, and published their findings recently in the journal PLoS One.
"The researchers found that the restoration plan had a significant effect on crime: Over the study period, the city saw small reductions in total crime, specifically in assaults, gun assaults, robberies, and nuisance crimes around abandoned buildings that made moves to comply with the new ordinance. Even greater reductions were seen around buildings that applied for renovation permits above and beyond the windows and doors."
FULL STORY: A Superficial Solution for Crime That Actually Works
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.