An innovative strategy to reduce gun violence: beautify Chicago neighborhoods

The city is spending millions on creating jobs to clean up vacant lots and green public spaces in areas with high shooting rates, an approach backed by research on blight and crime. City leaders have bolstered spending on sprucing up streets, vacant lots, and public transportation lines, putting Chicago at the forefront of an emerging movement to harness neighborhood beautification initiatives as a prescription for the sort of violence that has cauterized daily life in the city. This year alone, Chicago directed $7.4 million to workforce development programs that put high-risk individuals to work greening areas in neighborhoods with high rates of shootings.

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