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Best Practices: Building Clean, Livable Cities The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Keep America Beautiful, Inc. have formed a strategic alliance called the Urban Litter Partnership to share information, provide research on litter, document successful programs and promote effective partnership solutions. Its work has helped to further explore the impacts of blight on the social and economic dynamics of inner-city neighborhoods. The Partnership brings together the expertise of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in the management of urban jurisdictions and of Keep America Beautiful in litter prevention, cleanup, and community-organizing and public education programs. Urban Partnerships to Prevent Litter and Illegal Dumping, released at the October 1999 Urban Litter Partnership's National Summit, entitled "Building Clean, Livable Cities," highlights proven, successful strategies to combat litter and illegal dumping. The Impact of Litter in Cities Quality-of-life issues related to environmental blight are rooted in the "broken window" theory, postulated in the 1940s and recently popularized through a series of writings by political scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George Kelling. The theory posits that a broken window left unrepaired in a building, sends a signal that there is a lack of concern about the building. This pivotal event causes a chain reaction because when residents see that vandalism is being ignored, they begin to tolerate other negative activities as acceptable behaviors. Neglect and apathy take root in a neighborhood fueling further deterioration, often leading to other societal ills. Litter is often viewed as one of the earliest indicators that a neighborhood is in distress. It can be a "broken window" in the same way a graffiti tag or an abandoned car reflects that there is a lack of ownership by residents in that community. According to the "broken window theory," gangs, illegal dumpers and drug peddlers will not usually choose to enter neighborhoods that appear clean, safe and organized. They wait to be silently invited by distress indicators such as littered streets, abandoned properties, and illegal dump sites. Once the downward spiral begins, litter begets dump sites, graffiti begets street crime and abandoned cars beget abandoned homes, it becomes expensive, time consuming and extremely difficult to reverse. Successful Components of Best Practices Programs The Urban Litter Partnership identified several litter management principles that cities identified as contributing to their success with litter prevention and management. The cities highlighted in the Best Practices Guide have shown that a strategy incorporating many or all of these components leads to a more effective, sustainable program. A strong, broad based, organizational structure allows successful programs to have representation and input from all the segments of the community. Whether operating as a citywide task force, an independent nonprofit organization in concert with the city administration, or as a business improvement district, initiatives benefit from a strong partnership among the public, private and civic sectors. The Urban Litter Partnership found that it is often difficult to track total costs or evaluate resource allocation for litter and illegal dumping because the responsibility is usually divided among several city agencies. However, some cities, such as Columbus and Houston, as outlined in this guide, have realized benefit from coordination among city agencies, civic groups, and the private sector. This synergy can improve communication, prevent duplication, and encourage cost effective and timely delivery of services. Many cities have found added strength through formal affiliation with the national organization Keep America Beautiful, Inc. "Clean cities encourage order, safety, revitalization and economic investment," says Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown. "Working together, local government, the private sector and community groups can design programs to enhance the quality of life for their citizens." Mayor Brown's Clean Neighborhoods Program in cooperation with Keep Houston Beautiful, highlighted in this guide, demonstrates the unique opportunity to build sustainable neighborhood cleanliness programs through partnerships. The cities of Indianapolis and Macon, including others highlighted in the Best Practices Guide, have realized benefits by forming an alliance and providing city funding to their local Keep America Beautiful affiliates. Public education and communication efforts are a mainstay of successful litter prevention initiatives. Whether directed toward the general public, school children or a specific target audience, strong public education that compliments the announcement of new ordinances, procedures, new routes, recycling program changes or automated services is a key ingredient to litter prevention and management. Proper setouts of residential and commercial trash and of recyclables, along with proper pick-ups are essential to clean streets and neighborhoods. Continuous educational outreach encouraging proper behavior is critical. Public education campaigns by the City of Cincinnati including "Don't Trash the Nati", aimed at youth, and "Keep A Lid on It", targeted to improve residential garbage set-outs were able to achieve measurable improvements in city cleanliness. Reward/recognition programs provide the incentive for individuals, groups and/or organizations to maintain or expand their positive behaviors and actions. Award events, "seal of approval" campaigns, "thank-you" ads, certificates of participation and the like, all convey a simple but powerful message: your involvement is appreciated. If the recognition is publicized, the positive behavior and involvement can be held up as a model for others, thereby strengthening the educational process and reinforcing positive behavior. Philadelphia and Macon are just a few of the cities highlighted this guide with outstanding awards and recognition programs that serve as models. Enforcement programs are necessary for those who refuse to comply with local ordinances and laws. Most enforcement initiatives utilize educational interventions and warnings prior to the issuance of citations. If these initiatives do not deter offenders, cities proceed actively to enforce local ordinances, coordinate with police departments in making arrests, work with prosecutors and the judicial system to administer fines and sentences. The City of Chicago's program to combat illegal dumping, the City of Norfolk's coordinated enforcement efforts, and the City of Memphis/Shelby County Environmental Court, all cited in the guide, have stellar judicial enforcement programs involving active partnerships between the community and government. Litter Measurement tools provide an opportunity to identify problems, establish baselines and track trends over time. Armed with such knowledge, decision makers can deploy personnel and other resources in the most efficient manner. The City of New York has developed an innovative measurement tool used to successfully evaluate street cleanliness in effect for more than twenty years. Many of the cities highlighted in this guide have measured their results and use this information to evaluate additional resource needs. Through the Urban Litter Partnership, city leaders have expressed interest in a cost-effective, easy-to-implement method to measure and assess litter and to evaluate prevention programs. In response, Keep America Beautiful has been developing over the past 18 months a new measurement tool, the Litter Index, which it plans to unveil in the year 2000. The program components outlined, when successfully woven together into a comprehensive strategy, provide the opportunity to create clean, competitive, and livable cities. The following best practices should stimulate fresh thinking on this issue and provide efficient, affordable solutions for mayors and city managers.
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J. Thomas Cochran, Executive Director
1620 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone (202) 293-7330, FAX (202) 293-2352
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