# Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center Community Engagement and Revitalization

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $1,200,000

## Abstract

Since 2015, the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center has evaluated the effects of community-engaged
greening on crime, injury, property conditions, and resident perceptions in Flint, MI and Youngstown, OH. We
have also conducted an implementation study to identify key barriers and facilitators to community engaged
greening and the core components that are necessary to scale up this intervention for youth violence
prevention. The 2020-2021 supplement to the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center will extend our
current research on place-based, community engaged greening for youth violence prevention in several ways.
First, we will pilot test combinations of strategies, including the use of physical barriers (e.g., rails, fencing),
reporting, cameras, and other technology to address illegal dumping. Dumping was identified as a chronic
barrier to greening efforts and neighborhood revitalization by our community partners in Flint, MI, Youngstown,
OH, and Camden, NJ during our learning exchanges held in Year 4. Second, we will extend our outcome
evaluations of community engaged greening to study its effect on new youth violence related outcomes. Third,
we will deepen our understanding of how high-functioning organizations operationalize the best-practices for
community-engaged greening programs that we identified in our implementation study and explore how they
leverage local resources and policies to scale up their programs. Fourth, we will disseminate our findings
through a robust online resource center that we will develop in partnership with the Center for Community
Progress (CCP). The specific aims of our YVPC for this supplemental application are to: 1) expand and build
upon the greening strategy by pilot testing and evaluating the implementation of resident-engaged dumping
prevention strategies that utilize technology in Flint and Camden; 2) expand analysis of community-level
greening approach and its effects on firearm incidents, housing conditions (and their effects on youth violence
outcomes), and child abuse and neglect; 3) expand on policy and implementation studies through in-depth
case studies of exemplar programs; and 4) disseminate the results of our research and practice to local, state,
and national audiences via a comprehensive online resource center operated by CCP. The MI-YVPC is a
partnership among the University of Michigan, Rutgers University, Center for Community Progress, the
Genesee County Land Bank Authority, Cooper's Ferry Partnership, Columbia University, the U.S Forest
Service, and community stakeholders in Flint and Camden.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10146084
- **Project number:** 3U01CE002698-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Marc A Zimmerman
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,200,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2015-09-30 → 2021-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10146084

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10146084, Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center Community Engagement and Revitalization (3U01CE002698-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10146084. Licensed CC0.

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