Collective efficacy and the built environment

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Urban Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Neighborhood crime concentrations are often explained by collective efficacy.
• Within neighborhoods, crime concentrates in specific criminogenic locations influenced by the built environment.
• Collective efficacy may play a role in modifying these criminogenic features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the link between collective efficacy and the removal of criminogenic built environment features.
• To examine how collective efficacy influences the presence of criminogenic features and subsequent crime rates.

Main Methods:

• Piecewise structural equations with generalized linear mixed-effect regressions were used.
• Data included 1,641 blocks across 343 Chicago neighborhoods.
• Analyzed associations between past collective efficacy, built environment features, and four types of police-reported crime.

Main Results:

• Neighborhoods with high collective efficacy showed lower crime rates.
• High collective efficacy was associated with fewer criminogenic built environment features, notably abandoned buildings.
• Built environment features were significant predictors of crime, even after accounting for current collective efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Collective efficacy contributes to crime reduction by facilitating the modification of criminogenic built environment features.
• Limiting features like abandoned buildings is a key pathway through which collective efficacy impacts crime.
• Changes to the built environment offer a durable strategy for crime prevention, reducing the need for repeated interventions.