Changing Places: How the Science of Urban Planning Can Make Our Cities Healthier, Safer, and More Livable
Drawing on the latest research in city planning, economics, criminology, public health, and other fields, Changing Places demonstrates how well-designed changes to place can significantly improve the well-being of large groups of people. Science shows we can enhance people’s health and safety by changing neighborhoods block-by-block. Changing Places explains why planners and developers need to recognize the value of scientific testing, and why scientists need to embrace the indispensable know-how of planners and developers. This talk will discuss sections of the book Changing Places that focus on improving public safety, as well as new findings from experimental evaluation of a low-cost abandoned housing remediation intervention on gun violence. The talk will conclude with a discussion of how planners, developers, and scientists can work with urban residents to create place-based interventions that are simple, affordable, and scalable to entire cities.