NCJ Number
174489
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: 1997 Pages: 19-30
Date Published
1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Two adjacent neighborhoods in St. Louis were studied to determine the impact of traffic modifications such as street closings and traffic diversions on crime and fear of crime, based on the concept of defensible space as discussed in the crime prevention literature.
Abstract
Traffic modifications were made in one of the neighborhoods 5 years before the study. The research compared Part I Index crime data for both neighborhoods over time. Information was also collected by means of a random survey of residents regarding their perceptions of crime. Results revealed that the crime rate in the neighborhood where traffic flow was modified had a lower rate of increase than did that in the control neighborhood. In addition, while participants in the experimental neighborhood considered crime in their neighborhood to be more serious, their fear of crime was lower than in the control neighborhood. Tables, notes, and 12 references (Author abstract modified)