Place-based approaches to firearm violence prevention

Abstract

The way a city or neighborhood is designed plays a significant but often overlooked role in the prevalence of firearm violence within communities and a growing body of research demonstrates that improving built environment conditions may have a profound impact on social interactions, crime rates, and ultimately, the occurrence of firearm-related incidents. In this chapter, we present an overview of select environmental factors, including the potential roles of green, blue, building and housing, commercial, situational, transportation, education and healthcare, and social infrastructure in the prevention of firearm violence. The efficacy of some approaches is stronger than others and, as with many neighborhood conditions, the picture is complicated, and additional factors such as gentrification should be considered in the implementation. Nonetheless, creating safer, more inclusive spaces that reduce opportunities for crime and encourage social cohesion and collective responsibility can reduce the potential for violence to thrive.

Citation

Theall, Katherine P.; Contreras, Lexie M.; Francois, Samantha; Kondo, Michelle; Branas, Charles C. 2025. Place-based approaches to firearm violence prevention. In: Thomson, Nicholas D. ed. Handbook of Gun Violence. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press: 241-257. Chapter 18.