Poster #89 - Examining the Relationship between Change in Socio-Demographics and Urban Transformation Patterns in Los Angeles Neighborhoods

• In Event: ASC Poster Session I

Abstract

Research on gentrification has consistently revealed that changes in the socioeconomic dynamics of neighborhoods are important factors linked to crime rates. While this body of work has significantly advanced our understanding of how changes in socioeconomic and migration patterns influence crime, several critical gaps remain in literature. Specifically, few studies have examined how shifts in socioeconomic characteristics over time—such as changes in income levels, racial composition, and homeownership—are collectively associated with long-term changes in crime rates in Los Angeles. Moreover, when assessing the crime rates over the years, the ways in which changes in crime patterns in surrounding areas affect crime levels or similar outcomes in nearby neighborhoods are often overlooked. Finally, it remains relatively unexplored how shifts in socioeconomic factors interact with broader urban transformation processes, including including gentrification. Our paper seeks to address these gaps examining how unexpected changes in neighborhood-level sociodemographic factors (see Taylor and Covington 1993 for an example of measuring unexpected change) between 2000 and 2018 are linked to the changes in neighborhood crime rates in Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Authors

• Rustu Deryol, University of South Florida

• Lyndsay Boggess, University of South Florida