A Systematic Approach to Tackling Blight in SmallTown America


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A Systematic Approach to Tackling Blight in
SmallTown America

• Mary Helen Smith MPH CPH REHS RS
• Deputy Director of Environmental Health
• District Board of Health
• Mahoning County Ohio

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Vacant Abandoned Properties

• National Issues
• Since WWII achievement of the American Dream
• 2.2 million blighted properties in the United
  States
• Increased environmental health hazards
• Local Issues City of Campbell
• Population 8537 income level 32775
• Code enforcement failure
• Conflicting regulations impediment

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Systems Thinking Approach to Problem Solving

• A holistic approach to problem solving
• Uses development models to diagram system problems

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Problem Statement

• Why is there difficulty and reluctance for small
  communities such as the City of Campbell Ohio
  to engage in sustainable redevelopment of
  blighted areas in their communities?

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Vacant Abandoned Property Variables

• Key Variables

• Other Variables

• of vacant abandoned properties
• Health impacts regulatory constraints
• Economic Stability

• Safety issues
• Emigration
• Knowledge skill ability
• Political capital

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Behavior Over Time Graph of Key Variables
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System Thinking ApproachUsing Archetypes

• Archetype
• A Systems Thinking tool that depicts common
  challenges in a system
• A diagram of casual loops of typical and
  problematic systems
• Archetypes Used
• Shifting the Burden
• Drifting Goals

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Implementation
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Vacant Abandoned Property Action Plan

• Program Goal
• To improve the livability and increase
  sustainable redevelopment
• Health Problem
• Negative impact on the environmental physical
  mental and social health of the community

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Action Plan Outcome Objective

• By December 31 2015 vacant abandoned property
  will be reduced by 95 of the 2008 baseline
• Determinant
• Quantity of vacant abandoned properties inside
  the city limits will be nominal

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Action Plan Impact Objective

• By December 31 2010 70 of the vacant and
  abandoned properties in the City of Campbell will
  be either demolished or restored to livable
  conditions

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Action Plan Contributing Factors

• Lack of public awareness of health benefits of
  livable city
• Lack of resources to create a master
  redevelopment plan
• Inability of homeowners to obtain affordable
  loans
• Conflicting regulatory obstacles

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Results

• This vacant and abandoned property initiative
  will be a long and involved process.
• Outcomes accomplished
• Raised awareness of environmental health
  monitoring components
• Decreased the number of blighted properties via
  the short term solution

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Conclusion

• Vacant abandoned properties have decreased the
  livability of communities
• Short term solutions allow immediate relief but
  do not resolve the problem
• Intermediate solutions allow relief requires
  some planning
• Housing Economic Recovery Act of 2008

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Conclusion

• Longterm strategic planning encourages
  sustainable practices and decreases environmental
  public health problems
• A System Thinking approach provided a new
  innovative way to look at environmental health
  issues of community blight

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Essential Public Health Services Addressed
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Ten Essential Public Health Services
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Acknowledgements

• John Sarisky CDC
• Kate Wright St. Louis Univ. School of Public
  Health
• Dwayne Roadcap Mentor
• Matthew Stefanak DBOHMC Health Commissioner
• John E. Dill Mayor City of Campbell Ohio
• Pathfinder Teammates
• Raymond Delaney
• Peggy Keller

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