Communities, Measurement, and Crime: What’s Zero Population Got To Do With It?

• In Event: Communities and Place: Population, Parks, and Murals

Abstract

Communities and place scholars have been discussing different units of analysis for decades. The current study moves beyond the theoretical context question to other critical ones in regard to how this is going to be empirically measured and analyzed. As one example, a routine challenge faced by many scholars is the issue of omitting cases with zero population, thereby only focusing on some subsections of cities. These omitted and unoccupied areas are not necessarily undeveloped or unimportant for crime though. How these areas are developed is likely a contributing factor to the location of crime in part because many studies have shown that non-residential land uses have considerable consequences for crime patterns. To assess these issues, this project uses Census tract and block data from the entire United States, as well as crime and block population data from St. Louis Missouri. The discussion highlights the role of these zero population areas in shaping our understanding of communities, place, and crime in cities.

Author

• Adam Boessen, University of Missouri-St. Louis