NCJ Number
62677
Date Published
1979
Length
245 pages
Annotation
THE EFFECTS OF THE FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATIONS OF CITIES UPON THE LEVELS OF CRIME ARE EXAMINED IN THIS THESIS.
Abstract
INTERURBAN AND INTRAURBAN CRIME RATES ARE LINKED THROUGH THE VARIABLE, FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION OF THE CITY. FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION IS DETERMINED BY THE DOMINANT ACTIVITIES IN THE CITY WHICH INTEGRATE THE COMMUNITY INTO THE LARGER SOCIAL SYSTEM. THESE ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THE SPECIALIZED PRODUCTION OF ONE OR A FEW PRODUCTS THAT ARE EXPORTED TO OTHER URBAN AREAS AND REGIONS AND THEREBY GENERATE A NET INFLOW OF PAYMENT FROM THE LARGER ECONOMY. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A CITY RESULT IN PART FROM THIS SPECIALIZATION. THE STUDY FOCUSES ON THE EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION ON THE OCCURRENCE OF CRIME, BOTH BETWEEN CITIES AND WITHIN CITIES. THREE MEASURES OF CRIME ARE UTILIZED: ROBBERY, BURGLARY, AND TOTAL CRIME RATES. IN A SECTION WHICH FOCUSES ON INTERURBAN CRIME, 600 URBAN AREAS ARE GROUPED INTO 13 CATEGORIES OF FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION. THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION IS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO THE CRIME LEVEL IN A CITY. IN A SECTION DEALING WITH INTRAURBAN CRIME, THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION AND THE LEVEL OF CRIME IN CENSUS TRACTS WITHIN A CITY AND BETWEEN SOCIAL, DEMOGRAPHIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES IN THE CENSUS TRACT AND THE LEVEL OF CRIME ARE EXAMINED. THE FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THAT FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION HAS A SMALL, NONSIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP WITH CRIME IN THE CENSUS TRACT. THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTOR FOR EACH OF THE CRIME MEASURES IS THE NUMBER OF BLACKS IN A CENSUS TRACT. MAPS, TABLES, GRAPHS, A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF APPROXIMATELY 125 REFERENCES AND APPENDIXES CONTAINING CRIME DATA AND CITY MAPS ARE INCLUDED.