Environmental Design and Neighborhood Context: A Multi-level Analysis of Crime at Apartments in Cincinnati Neighborhoods. (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Deryol, Rustu; Payne, Troy
• Is Part Of: Crime and delinquency. Volume 67:Number 12(2021)
• Page Start: 1819
• Page End: 1855
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: environmental design -- multilevel opportunity -- apartment complexes; Crime -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0011128720962448
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0011-1287

Abstract

The present study examines the role of opportunity on crime counts within the multicontextual opportunity theoretical framework. We used weighted multilevel regression modeling of site observation data from a Cincinnati-based sample of 1003 apartments nested within 228 census block groups. Results indicate that only a couple of environmental design features are associated with crime in the expected direction, and some of these associations are neighborhood-context-dependent. We conclude that the results support the propositions of multicontextual opportunity theory suggesting that neighborhood level factors condition the relationship between micro level opportunity factors and crime. Since there is a scant literature on this topic, more research is needed to see if the findings hold true in other places.