A new study led by LSU Department of Sociology Assistant Professor Matthew Valasik is the first to show a statistical connection between homicide, blighted buildings and convenience stores in Baton Rouge. He is the first to study how the physical landscape and built environment in Baton Rouge correlates with crime.

“If you are within a three and half block radius of a convenience store, the risk of homicide increases five-fold. Similarly, if you live within two and a half blocks of a blighted building, the risk increases by 13 times,”

To view the press release, please click here.

To view the study in its entirety please click on the following link;
Forecasting homicide in the red stick: Risk terrain modeling and the spatial influence of urban blight on lethal violence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Additionally, in 2016, the American Journal of Public Health issues a related study with the objective to determine if blight remediation of abandoned buildings and vacant lots can be a cost-beneficial solution to firearm violence in US cities.

To view that study, please click on the following link;
Urban Blight Remediation as a Cost-Beneficial Solution to Firearm Violence