Neighborhood Preservation works with stakeholders in an effort to maintain healthy, safe and desirable communities in the unincorporated areas of the County of Orange. Our effectiveness is based greatly upon educating, developing and maintaining relationships, and working with the residents and business owners in order to promote a true community approach towards preserving our neighborhoods.
Through a general understanding of and commitment to upholding our Orange County Codified Ordinances, residents and business owners are able to avoid creating unnecessary property conditions that can and often do negatively impact the health and safety of residents, and the general desirability of our communities.
Examples of such conditions (with link to Orange County Code of Ordinance reference) are as follows:
You can report property violations by submitting a service request at myOCeServices.ocgov.com.
Broken Window Theory
The Broken Window Theory is a broad-ranging social theory stating that problems or problematic conditions that are not addressed when they first occur can and often do become much worse over time.
Consider a building with a couple of broken windows that may exist in your community. If the broken windows are left unrepaired, a perception that no one cares about the building/property can manifest and ultimately lead to vandalism that could include additional damages to the building, graffiti, the dumping of waste material on the property and, if the building is vacant, transient occupation of the building. Conversely, if the windows are immediately repaired, the perception is that the property is actively cared for and maintained, thus deterring unwanted elements from negatively affecting the building/property and, ultimately, the community in general.
The theory was first introduced in the article entitled Broken Windows that was written by James Q. Wilson and George Kellina, which appeared in the March 1982 edition of The Atlantic Monthly.
