Crime
How urban design can deter crime
Well-designed public spaces and good lighting can prevent crime and make residents feel safer.
Philadelphia sees 29% drop in gun violence near new green spaces
A city-backed program that cleans up blighted and vacant lots is creating new public spaces and reducing crime in surrounding communities.
Red Cities, Blue Cities and (Property) Crime: A Sequel
Like urban violent crime, urban property crime is often a political football. Republicans claim that crime in Democrat-run cities is proof that Democrats are incapable of maintaining public order. Do they have a point?
Opinion: Far From Cauldrons of Violence, Cities are Anti-Crime Innovators
Rather than funding the performative militarization of law enforcement, the federal government could instead support programs that prevent poverty and crime before it happens.
A Reality Check on Crime, Safety, and Transit
While Duffy and Nadler battle it out in a shouting match, the data is clear: transit is safe.
NYC Subway Has Safest Month Ever
The city’s subway system is seeing increased ridership and a sharp drop in crime a year after the MTA implemented new security measures.
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Density and Disorder: The Imaginary Link
A recent article tries to tie public transit and walkability to social disorder — but in fact, sprawling Sunbelt cities like Memphis are as likely to have high crime rates as transit-rich metropolises such as New York and San Francisco.
Did Brookings Get It Wrong?
A recent Brookings study on the 2020 homicide wave tells a simple story: unemployment plus closed schools plus guns equals crime. But is the story accurate?
The Link Between Urban Design and Crime
A meta-study shows that public realm interventions can help reduce crime rates.
Is Crime More Concentrated in Spread-out Cities?
Our nation's most transit-friendly cities have lower crime rates than many sprawling cities- yet some people seem to feel safer in sprawling cities because they believe that in sprawl, crime is concentrated in just a few neighborhoods. Is this correct?
But... Europe
European cities and nations tend to have less violent crime than the United States. Is government social welfare spending the magic bullet that explains this difference?
Denver Bans Downtown Food Trucks — Again
City officials say the controversial policy, first enacted in 2022, is an effort to reduce crime in the nightlife district.
Is Inequality Destroying American Cities?
A recent video claimed that high income inequality is the “Thing That Will Destroy Our Cities.” Is this true?
Recent Retail Closures in U.S. Cities Follow Trends Established Before the Pandemic
While some cling to debatable claims about higher crime rates as the cause for recent high-profile store closures in U.S. downtowns, the real reasons are more realistically extensions of the causes of the “retail apocalypse” from the before times.
Report: American Downtowns Safer Than You Think
A Brookings Institution study reveals that crime rates in major cities have risen, but downtown districts account for a negligible part of the growth.
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.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
