Neighborhood Change and Crime: Examining the Story as a Whole

• In Event: The Value of Integrating Data across Agencies and Jurisdictions to Improve Public Safety

Abstract

Many studies have examined the relationship between neighborhood change and crime (Covington & Taylor, 1989; Lee 2010; Kirk & Laub, 2010). However, most of these studies focus only on the changing socioeconomic status of residents, which is only one aspect of neighborhood change. Business activity also likely affects crime independently from and in combination with the socioeconomic status of residents (Papachristos et al., 2012). In this study, we use census and business panel data (National Establishment Time Series) from Washington, D.C., to build upon existing research by estimating the relationship between changes in commercial activity, socioeconomic status, and crime. This study highlights the importance of examining both the residential and commercial context when predicting crime rates.

Authors

• Christina Plerhoples, Urban Institute

• Helen Ho, Urban Institute

• Rolf Pendall, Urban Institute