Crime
The Deepening Transit Crisis: L.A. Times Reports Drug Use on Transit
An article by the L.A. Times earlier this week has raised the temperature of the debate about drug users and crime on rail transit. Concerns about public safety on transit are a common symptom of post-pandemic transit around the country.
Memphis: Crime-fighting Camera Sheds Light on Police Abuse
The irony is unmistakable. Public surveillance cameras, long controversial in the criminal justice community, provided pivotal video footage of the beating of motorist Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers at a traffic stop on January 7.
Chain Drugstores Are Closing, But Not Because of Shoplifting
Massive chain drug stores have become integral members of the urban fabric, for better or worse, but widespread store closures and security practices have come to symbolize urban decline. The dynamic must be monitored.
A Somber Earth Day Finding
Polling from CBS News/YouGuv shows an inverse relationship between the economy and the environment. A year ago, 56% of respondents rated climate change as an urgent issue. Today's Earth Day finding shows it at 49% as doubts grow about the economy.
Infrastructure Investment for Public Safety: Lessons from Medellín
A natural experiment in Medellín indicates that infrastructural investments can reduce crime and improve perceptions of public safety.
Big Cities Aren't as Bad as People Think
Paul Krugman argues that the pervasive myth of cities as crime-ridden cesspools harms democracy and creates a false contrast between urban and small-town America.
Another Fun Neighborhood Analysis Toy
A Trulia feature offers lots of interesting information about neighborhoods (or at least about how their residents perceive them).
Which Cities Are Becoming More Violent?
Some cities have become significantly more violent since the George Floyd protests began—but not all. Why have some cities been more successful than others?
Use of Private Surveillance Grows With the Help of Cheap AI Tech
As the technology gets cheaper, AI surveillance systems are gaining popularity in some parts of the country, like the neighborhood of Magnolia in Seattle.
LAPD is Looking for 5,000 Volunteers to Help Police Neighborhoods
The Los Angeles Police Department is looking to recruit 5,000 volunteers to run stake outs and "undercover surveillance," along with other police activities.
Neighborhood-Based Apps and the Socialized Fear of Crime
Violent crime is at the lowest rate in decades, but don't tell that to the people who use neighborhood-based apps like Nextdoor, Citizen, and Neighbors.
Preventing Crime, One Park at a Time
Deborah Marton, executive director of the New York Restoration Project, connects parks and open space to improved public safety.
Birds of Passage: Quantifying Jacobs's Gloom
While the debate continues unabated on the influence of the physical and land use characteristics of a city on crime, a critical aspect is left out: resident transience. Jacobs took notice and feared its negative influence. Was she right?
Op-Ed: Seattle Should Do More About Crime in Business Districts
To combat a rash of incivility and outright criminal acts, three Business Improvement Area directors argue that Seattle needs to commit more law enforcement resources to business districts.
The View from Hudson Street—With Thoughts on Science and Orthodoxy
Anecdotal evidence isn't enough to make claims about the connection between density and crime, but the planning orthodoxy does so anyway.
Eyes from the Street – A Finer Filter
Evidence described here suggests that urban design for "eyes on the street" is not enough to lower crime.
Eyes from the Street: The Neighbourhood Fabric that Matters
The mantra “eyes on the street" focuses on the physical and functional traits of urban fabric but fails to explain the high crime rate of my Jacobsian neighbourhood. Time to reconsider, look for explanations, and exchange mantras for research.
Portland Lowers Penalties for Fare Evasion
Fines will be waived for low-income riders, among other changes aimed at bringing "fairness and equity" to TriMet's enforcement system.
Where Mass Shootings Happen
It's tempting to try to find a link between sites of mass shootings, but data shows they happen in all types of American communities.
Falling Crime Rates Have Changed American Cities
The drop in crime in cities has extended American life expectancies, especially those of black men, and brought more wealthy people into urban areas.
Princeton Planning
City of College Park
Houston-Galveston Area Council
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.
