# Preventing Illegal Dumping to Address Community Violence

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $549,816

## Abstract

Abstract
This is a study of illegal dumping using a randomized control group (RCT) design with two experimental arms.
Researchers have documented that deteriorated vacant lots are strongly associated with crime and violence,
including firearm violence, and that greening vacant lots by mowing them or enhancing their appearance with
landscaping can help to restore social capital, improve sense of safety, and reduce crime and violence. Yet,
resident-engaged greening efforts (shown to enhance greening effects for violence prevention) are often
undermined by illegal dumping, defined as the repeated disposal of waste though improper, often clandestine
methods. Vacant lots experiencing illegal dumping are at even higher risk for violence and crime, due to the
increased physical disorder on these sites. Cities with elevated vacancy and economic disinvestment across
the U.S. devote significant time and resources to remediating dumping activity. Despite the severe and
widespread nature of illegal dumping, few researchers have systematically studied this issue or identified
viable modes of prevention. The purpose of this randomized control trial is to evaluate the effects of a
community-developed illegal dumping prevention intervention on county owned vacant lots with repeated
reports of illegal dumping in Flint, MI, a city with concentrated vacancy and economic disadvantage, on violent
crime. We will examine the effects of two different approaches (dumping intervention plus resident-engaged
maintenance vs. dumping intervention) onto illegal dumping prevention on physical disorder and violent crime,
including firearm related police incidents, relative to control sites receiving no intervention. We will further
examine the effectiveness of the intervention with and without community engagement, in which neighborhood
residents maintain and monitor the dumping prevention intervention. To study the sustainability of each of
these two approaches, we will test the effects of a subset of the dumping prevention sites longitudinally. We
will also study displacement of dumping by tracking overall dumping reports across the city and examining if
new dumping sites are appearing near the remediated sites. Finally, we will conduct cost effectiveness and
cost-benefit analyses of the intervention with and without resident engaged maintenance for both costs of
dumping removal and violent and firearm-related crime averted. We will work in partnership with the Genesee
County Land Bank and Center for Community Progress to implement the study and disseminate study results,
cost-benefits, and best practices for implementation through their community and national networks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10593246
- **Project number:** 1U01CE003527-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Roshanak Mehdipanah
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $549,816
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2026-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10593246

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10593246, Preventing Illegal Dumping to Address Community Violence (1U01CE003527-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10593246. Licensed CC0.

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