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Does walkability undermine neighbourhood safety?

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  • Hongwei Dong

Abstract

While the public health and environmental benefits of walkable neighbourhoods have been widely studied, the safety effect of walkability is still unclear. Using a three-year crime incident dataset in the City of Portland, Oregon, this study tests the link between walkability and neighbourhood safety. It finds that after controlling for many other variables, walkability is significantly and positively associated with burglary rates, but its effect on robbery rates is not statistically significant. Everything else equal, residents in the bottom 25% of Portland neighbourhoods with the lowest levels of street walkability are safer from burglary than those in other neighbourhoods. However, once street walkability reaches a medium-low level, the association between street walkability and burglary incidence turns statistically insignificant. After controlling for walkability and other variables, compact neighbourhoods tend to have lower burglary and robbery rates. Neighbourhoods with more retail space, restaurants and public transit service are associated with higher robbery rates. While previous studies show that public housing, particularly high-rise public housing projects, are associated with high crime rates, this study does not find any significant effects of them on burglary and robbery rates, after controlling for other variables.

Suggested Citation

  • Hongwei Dong, 2017. "Does walkability undermine neighbourhood safety?," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 59-75, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cjudxx:v:22:y:2017:i:1:p:59-75
    DOI: 10.1080/13574809.2016.1247644
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jolanda Maas & Peter Spreeuwenberg & Marijke van Winsum-Westra & Robert A Verheij & Sjerp Vries & Peter P Groenewegen, 2009. "Is Green Space in the Living Environment Associated with People's Feelings of Social Safety?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(7), pages 1763-1777, July.
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    3. Wenjia Zhang, 2016. "Does compact land use trigger a rise in crime and a fall in ridership? A role for crime in the land use–travel connection," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(14), pages 3007-3026, November.
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    5. Paul Cozens, 2011. "Urban Planning and Environmental Criminology: Towards a New Perspective for Safer Cities," Planning Practice & Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 481-508.
    6. Hongwei Dong, 2016. "If You Build Rail Transit in Suburbs, Will Development Come?," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 82(4), pages 316-326, October.
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