Philadelphia gets rid of abandoned buildings in order to curb crime.

[Asher Paul Ang]

The City Beautiful movement subscribes to the philosophy of physical determinism which equates better buildings to better people. The design or beauty of buildings in a city would determine the way in which people would react or behave. Some inner cities have been ridden with poverty and crime due to the lack of funding for development, education, or law enforcement, and this can be attributed to the effects of urban sprawl. In order to address this issue, some researchers propose the idea of repairing or renovating these buildings in order to provide a better environment, and as a result of this better environment, society would benefit, and crime would be reduced. 

In 2010, the city of Philadelphia enacted the Doors and Windows Ordinance which required “building owners to have working windows and doors if the unused and abandoned property is on a block where more than 80 percent of the buildings are actually occupied” (Firger). This plan was enacted because of studies that related to what was called the “broken-window theory” which essentially suggests that properties that are abandoned tend to attract crime, as opposed to physical environments that are well maintained. The theory also suggests that “turning abandoned lots into community gardens or green spaces will effectively reduce neighborhood gun violence” (Firger).  

After this plan was implemented, the city of Philadelphia started renovating and making improvements to buildings in the inner city, and as a result of this, the crime rate apparently dropped significantly due to the implementation of the ordinance that Philadelphia passed (Renovating). The city is now demolishing old buildings, and building new ones in replacement along with renovating and making improvements to other buildings. This method highlights the use of physical determinism in changing the social environment through the use of building new buildings. Due to the supposed effectiveness of this method in dealing with inner-city crime through redevelopment and renovation, this approach has now being taken into consideration by other cities around the country. 

The idea of the city beautiful movement is to essentially prove that the environment of a city will garner a certain attitude or behavior which could either be positive or negative. For example, if a street is well lit, clean, and not empty, the probability of a crime taking place there is lower than a street that is dark, dirty, and abandoned. This same principle goes with buildings and even neighborhoods. Improving an environment’s health and safety could also reduce strain which could effectively reduce crime. According to the “broken window” theory, “abandonment sends a message to would-be offenders that committing crimes is acceptable and will likely to go unchallenged or unseen (Remediating). This psychological principle has been proven through the reduction in crime resulting from Philadelphia’s doors and windows ordinance. The idea is to beautify a city, attract investment, which would benefit the society through employment and economic opportunity. 

Sources:

Firger, J. (2015, July 8). Building Repairs May Lower Crime Rates. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from http://www.newsweek.com/crime-philadelphia-crime-rates-gun-violence...

Remediating abandoned, inner city buildings reduces crime and violence in surrounding area. (2015, July 8). Retrieved September 19, 2017, from https://phys.org/news/2015-07-remediating-abandoned-city-crime-viol...

Renovating Inner City Buildings Can Reduce Crime. (2015, July 28). Retrieved September 19, 2017, from http://www.buildings.com/news/industry-news/articleid/19202/title/r...

[Lindsay Kathleen McManus]

This is a remarkable post in that it provides a contemporary example of the City Beautiful Movement at work. The City Beautiful Movement, its beginning having been marked by the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, triggered competition amongst cities, which attempted to unify ideas of municipal art, civic improvement, and landscape design in order to encourage, influence, and even potentially determine “the way in which people would react or behave,” as Asher states. The implications of physical determinism, or the idea that better buildings equate to better people, are certainly conveyed through Philadelphia’s decision to enact the Doors and Windows Ordinance. The acts of renovating and improving buildings that have been abandoned or have experienced vacancy for an extended period of time have both proven successful and have been deemed credible responses to increased crime in inner cities. Although not a perfect nor permanent solution to all cases of poverty and crime, the idea derived from the City Beautiful Movement that beauty has the power to be an effective social control device has proven itself in Philadelphia. It will be intriguing to see if the positive results experienced by Philadelphia because of the establishment of this particular ordinance can be replicated in other major cities across the United States.