STREET LAYOUT AND RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY

• NCJ Number: 53724
• Author(s): J NUTTER; D W FRISBIE; C BEVIS
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76DF050005
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Minnesota Governor's Cmssn on Crime Prevention and Control
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE EVALUATION, WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 1977 - PANEL 7 USING THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT TO REDUCE CRIME AND FEAR OF CRIME

Annotation

IN AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STREET ARRANGEMENTS AND CRIME, 65 STREET BLOCKS IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., WERE EXAMINED.

Abstract

OSCAR NEWMAN'S WORK IN THE FIELD OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE PROVIDES BACKGROUND FOR THIS STUDY. NEWMAN STATES THAT RESIDENTS WHO PERCEIVE AN AREA AS THEIR TERRITORY HAVE A GREATER CONCERN FOR WHAT HAPPENS THERE. NEWMAN FURTHER STATES THAT AS TERRITORIAL SUBDIVISION INCREASES, RESIDENTS ARE MORELY LIKELY TO INCREASE SURVEILLANCE AND CAN BETTER RECOGNIZE STRANGERS. INTERVIEWS WITH 45 BURGLARS INDICATED THAT BURGLARS ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT EASY ACCESS TO AND DEPARTURE FROM TARGETS. IN THE MINNEAPOLIS STUDY, SIX BASIC STREET BLOCK TYPES WERE ANALYZED. GOING FROM LEAST ACCESSIBLE TO MOST ACCESSIBLE, THOSE STREETS ARE AS FOLLOWS: (1) DEAD END, (2) CUL-DE-SAC, (3) L-TYPE, (4) T-TYPE, (5) OFFSET, AND (6) THROUGH STREET. USING CENSUS TRACKS, STREET BLOCKS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED. OUT OF 127 TRACTS IN MINNEAPOLIS, 30 WERE CHOSEN. FOR EACH STUDY BLOCK, A CONTROL BLOCK WAS ALSO CHOSEN. THE CONTROL BLOCK WAS DEFINED AS THE NEAREST THROUGH-STREET BLOCK THAT FED INTO THE STUDY BLOCK. A BLOCK WAS DEFINED AS A SECTION OF STREET WITH AN INTERSECTION AT EACH END AND NO INTERSECTION BETWEEN THE ENDS. IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WAS A PATTERN OF LOWER RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY RATES FOR HOUSING ON THOSE BLOCKS WITH LOWER ACCESSIBILITY. AS ACCESSIBILITY INCREASED, BURGLARY RATES INCREASED. STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED INDICATED THAT THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY WOULD HAVE OCCURRED BY CHANCE NO MORE THAN ONCE IN TWENTY TIMES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT STREET LAYOUT DOES AFFECT RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY RATES. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE REDESIGN OF STREETS BE USED AS A STRATEGY TO COMBAT CRIME. FIGURES AND TABLES ARE INCLUDED IN THE TEXT. (MLC)