Questions of how to regulate the sale of alcohol, how to enforce public intoxication, and whether or not alcohol leads to crime can quickly divide communities into factions. So what evidence exists to help cities answer these questions?
Tristan Hallman set out to discover whether Dallas could hold its liquor—by mapping liquor licenses and crime to search for correlations.
According to Hallman, the map shows "clusters of liquor stores in some of the top Dallas police crime hot spots"—such as in the far north "Dallas Hot sport" of Preston Road and Spring Valley Road. He also notes correlations in Red Bird and in Five Points.
Bu there's a catch:
"But the classic and not-so-scientific eyeball test also shows the biggest cluster is concentrated downtown and in entertainment-like districts like Uptown and Deep Ellum and Oak Lawn. They are not the top areas for crime in Dallas. And another intersection known for some violent crime, St. Augustine and Bruton in Pleasant Grove have very few places licensed to sell booze."
Hallman goes on to examine research into the effects of alcohol sales to crime, which lacks academic research that can make the correlation to causation leap.
FULL STORY: Map: Where is all the booze in Dallas? And does it correlate with crime rates?
Op-Ed: Facial Recognition on Transit Goes a Step Too Far
Despite its insistence that the technology would only target criminals, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) should reconsider using facial recognition software to address crime. The potential for abuse may be too high.
Trendy Chicago Taco Bell to Serve Alcoholic Drinks
Would you like a cerveza with that? A hip neighborhood in Chicago will play host to the first alcohol-serving Taco Bell. Isolated incident, or the future of fast food?
Texas State Bills to Defund Dallas Transit Die
DART would have seen a 30% service cut, $230M annual losses had the bills survived.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie