Scottie Gilg- "urban blight remediation as a cost-beneficial solution to firearms" (outside reading 5)

In this 2016 study, Charles Branas, chair of the department of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, along with other scientists wanted to determine if urban blight remediation of abandoned buildings could be a cost- beneficial outcome to firearm violence in cities in the United States. To record this data, they used two different types of experimental analysis of specific urban blight remediation programs. One program was the redemption of abandoned buildings and the other was a remediation of vacant lots in the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both programs resulted in a high-value, high-return that substantially reduced firearm violence. A question asked was if an abandoned building or lot is remediated in one location, that may just move the violence to another location. However, from previous research in other cities, it suggests that firearm displacement effects have little impact. Another question that may arise is about the cost. However, it has been shown that blight remediation is a low-cost, high-return solution to firearm violence. Small and simple treatments of buildings and lots estimates between $5.00 and $26.00 in net benefits to taxpayers and between $79.00 and $333.00 to society at large, for every dollar invested. There are many abandoned buildings which represent millions of dollars in lost tax revenue, create stress and fear among the community, and promote firearm violence. As crime and firearm violence is a problem in Newport News, I will use this study to further my knowledge in how much money Newport News is losing with vacant and abandoned buildings. I will also use it to look at how urban blight remediation programs can be cost- beneficial straighties that can reduce firearm violence.