Penn Researchers Find Fixing Up Abandoned Buildings Reduces Crime

In a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, Penn researchers reported that remediating abandoned buildings can significantly reduce crime and violence. The reduction, including a 39 percent decrease in gun assaults, occurred in the year after Philadelphia began enforcing an ordinance requiring owners of abandoned buildings to install working doors and windows. The research team included Professor of Criminology John MacDonald, as well as Charles Branas of the Perelman School of Medicine and Michelle Kondo, a former research fellow at Perelman.

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