Unmaintained and abandoned vacant lots in Upper and Lower South Providence pose a health risk to neighborhood residents, lower community morale, and are overwhelming eyesores. These lots also represent an environmental inequity; Upper and Lower South Providence, the neighborhoods with the greatest percentage of people of color and the lowest median incomes, also contain the highest proportion of vacant lots.

The current policies to abate unmaintained lots fail to address the problem effectively. The City's ownership database is outdated and inaccurate, land speculators control large portions of land in Upper and Lower South Providence, and the City fails to transfer lands to responsible owners. Furthermore, land owners ignore ordinances regarding vacant lot maintenance, and even City-owned properties remain littered.

To effect a change, the City must take three steps. First, it must update and streamline its property database, so all city agencies can access accurate ownership information. A Geographic Information System (GIS) would suit the City's data management needs well. Next, the City must strengthen its land acquisition and disposition powers to transfer property into the hands of neighborhood residents. Boston and Cleveland offer models of effective acquisition strategies, and the Boston Yard Sale is an example of an excellent disposition program. Lastly, the City must develop a credible enforcement system that will regularly apprehend violators and will make a property's tax title holder and actual owner jointly and severally responsible for the property's condition.