Webinar Participation: Built Environments and Gun Violence Patterns
Webinar Attendance: June 2, 2026
Today I attended the live webinar "Place Matters: How Neighborhoods Shape Patterns of Gun Violence," hosted by the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
Core Tracking Data
Event Source: Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium (Rockefeller Institute of Government)
Panelists: Bryce Hruska (Syracuse University), Margaret Formica, and Jaclyn Schildkraut
Focus Area: How the built environment and local infrastructure changes—specifically the ongoing I-81 Viaduct Project in Syracuse, New York—intersect with gun violence risks and prevention strategies.
Participation: I participated in the live session, where the panelists addressed two policy and infrastructure questions I submitted during the Q&A. I asked how this research overlapped or differed from Jens Ludwig's "Unforgiving Places" model, which was focused on Chicago, not Syracuse. The panelists were unfamiliar with this work, unfortunately. I also asked, "I understand the relevance of place-based environmental features. Could an additional factor be longstanding beefs or feuds between families living in that neighborhood?" The panelists answered that yes, Yes, there are multigenerational, longstanding disputes between families living there that are connected to many of the gun violence incidents.
The announcement for the webinar described it this way:
"The environments in which people live, work, and move through their daily lives play an important role in shaping patterns of gun violence. From neighborhood structure to infrastructure changes, place can influence both risk and opportunity in ways that are often overlooked in prevention efforts.
Join the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government for a timely discussion on how the built environment and community context intersect with gun violence. This webinar will feature Bryce Hruska and Margaret Formica, who will share insights from their research, including work focused on Syracuse, New York.
Panelists will discuss why place-based approaches matter, what recent research reveals about local patterns of violence, and how large-scale changes—such as the ongoing I-81 project—may shape future risk and prevention strategies. The conversation will also explore how this line of research is evolving and what it means for practitioners, policymakers, and communities moving forward."
