Key Citations:
1. Cohen, James R. 2001. “Abandoned Housing: Exploring Lessons from Baltimore.” Housing Policy Debate 12(3):415–48.
2. Wallace, Danielle and David Schalliol. 2015. “Testing the Temporal Nature of Social Disorder through Abandoned Buildings and Interstitial Spaces.” Social Science Research 54:177–94.
3. Han, Hye-Sung. 2014. “The Impact of Abandoned Properties on Nearby Property Values.” Housing Policy Debate 24(2):311–34.
4. Helmholdt, Nicholas. 2009. “Neighborhood Effects of Physical Interventions to Abandoned Housing.” Cornell University.
Abandoned Structures
The Abandoned Structures indicator measures the percentage of properties that mail has not been picked up from or delivered to in more than 90 days. Abandoned structures are “symptomatic of other [social and economic] problems,” and “contribute to neighborhood decline and frustrate revitalization”. Furthermore, they are a precursor for other blight indicators, including deteriorated and dilapidated properties, as well as tax delinquent properties. Abandoned structures often fall into decay, which erodes the character of neighborhoods, and these conditions have become more pervasive in a context of suburbanization, deindustrialization, and aging populations. Property values decline if properties are abandoned, which creates spillover effects that negatively impact the values of neighboring properties. These negative population dynamics are associated with other negative indicators including social disorganization. Furthermore, studies show that this type of physical environment influences health outcomes and health behaviors, such as exercise, diet, exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and drug use. Data for the Abandoned Structures indicator is available from the United States Postal Service Vacant Address Data.