Do We Reap What We Zone?

ISBN-13: 9783639103465 / Angielski / Miękka / 2008 / 140 str.

Karen Hayslett-McCall

Opis

Routine activity theory suggests that neighborhood-level activity patterns influence crime rates, and that the convergence of three elements in space and time-a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian-result in increased likelihood of criminal events. As such, particular land-use patterns may explain why disadvantaged neighborhoods have higher crime rates than more advantaged areas. This monograph examines whether the effect of neighborhood disadvantage on crime may be a function of its association with land-use patterns. This research also examines whether land-uses have greater effects in disadvantaged neighborhoods. By understanding the effects of land-use, planners and managers could make changes in land-use patterns that decrease crime rates. Findings reveal that both social characteristics and several land-use patterns exhibited different degrees of influence within three research sites. Generally, the percent of land-use dedicated to commerce as well as some commercial institutions were significant predictors of robbery rates. However, types of commercial land and establishments varied by the study site.

O autorze

Karen Hayslett-McCall is an Assistant Professor of Criminology
and Geography/GIS at the University of Texas at Dallas. Her
interests include neighborhood effects on a variety of
social issues, the refinement of contextual definitions, and the
integration of statistics with GIS. She earned her Ph.D. from The
Pennsylvania State University.