The Housing Crisis and Crime: Assessing the Dynamics of Foreclosure and Neighborhood Crime

• In Event: Housing, Housing Policy, and Neighborhood Crime Rates

Abstract

Following the mortgage crisis of 2007-2010, criminologists turned to examine the role of foreclosure in the ecology of neighborhood crime. Most of this research estimates the effect of block group, tract or city foreclosure rates on crime in the years during the crisis, generally finding a positive or null relationship. We contribute to this literature by examining the effects of foreclosure on neighborhood crime contextually at various spatial and temporal scales, asking not only if foreclosure is associated with heightened crime, but if this effect persists over time. We address these research questions empirically for the Southern California region using data from Zillow and the Southern California Crime Study (SCCS).

Authors

• Seth A. Williams, University of California Irvine

• John R Hipp, University of California, Irvine