Crime
Lighting Fighting Crime
Fighting gang crime in Los Angeles is as easy as leaving the lights on at neighborhood parks.
Keeping an Eye on License Plates
The posh San Francisco Bay Area town of Tiburon is planning to install cameras that record the license plate numbers of all cars coming into town. Police will use the system to apprehend criminals or investigate crimes.
Thousands of Crimes Not Displaying on LAPD Crime Map
The Los Angeles Police Department's crime-tracking website has been omitting thousands of violent crimes. 40% of crimes reported so far in 2009 are not included in the public website.
The Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the U.S.
NeighborhoodScout.com used GIS and FBI data from 17,000 local law enforcement agencies to compile its list of the 25 worst neighborhoods for crime in the country.
Under Surveillance
The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, will soon be one of the most watched cities in the world, with plans for 165 closed circuit cameras monitoring public spaces.
Well-Designed Prison, Well-Behaved Prisoners
A prison design in Austria that emphasizes inmate comfort and dignity raises questions about the role architecture and design plays in preventing or encouraging more crime.
Whither Vacant Buildings?
Officials in Fort Worth, Texas, are searching for ways to deal with buildings left vacant by businesses struggling during the recession. Other cities and the state of Texas are also addressing the issue.
Lose Pay Phones, Fight Crime and Blight?
Jacksonville, Florida officials are considering removing pay phones on sidewalks and in downtown parks, which are often viewed as nuisances that hinder efforts to make neighborhoods cleaner and safer.
BIDs Bring Down Crime
A new study of Los Angeles Business Improvement Districts shows that private security provided by BIDs has reduced crime in these areas more than in the rest of the city.
Broken Windows Theory Passes the Test
To conduct a real life experiment with the theory, 17 of Lowell, MA's crime "hot spots" were cleaned up while another 17 were left alone. Researchers found a 20% dip in crime where conditions were improved.
Bike-Riding On Long Island
This editorial looks at the hostile environment of bicycling on much of Long Island, and ties it to the precarious life of many immigrant laborers, who already suffer from apparent hate crimes. Sadly, riding a bike only increases their vulnerability
In Light of Violence, Student Subway Passes Reconsidered
Subway violence and crime in Philadelphia have been unofficially traced to truant students, who are enabled by unlimited rides on the SEPTA throughout the week. Whether or not the student TransPass system should be eliminated is being debated.
Experiments Validate Broken Windows Theory
The controversial theory that social and physical disorder is a cause of neighborhood crime has been successfully demonstrated with a series of six experiments.
Candidates Take Stance on Urban Issues
City Limits breaks down the differences between the two presidential candidates with a focus on urban issues.
'Death Wish' and the Life of Great American Cities
City streets need only few things to make them safe, according to the famous urbanist Jane Jacobs. She says safe streets need people walking around, places for them to go, things for them to do and other people for them to interact with. Simple as that. But Jane forgot one more thing: a sock full of quarters.
Former London Mayor to Advise Caracas
In an agreement with fellow socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone has accepted a position in Caracas to advise the city on improving its transportation and crime issues.
Crime and urban design: Oscar Newman 36 years later
I recently read Oscar Newman’s 1970s book on crime prevention, “Defensible Space.” In this book, Newman addressed the question of why some public housing projects are insanely dangerous, and others only moderately so. Although Newman’s analysis is mostly confined to low-income housing, commentators of all stripes have relied on his work: new urbanist commentator Laurence Aurbach asserts that Newman’s work supports new urbanists’ emphasis on heavily trafficked, walkable streets (1) while Randall O’Toole considers Newman to be a defender of single-use, cul-de-sac sprawl (2).
Crime, Rising Costs Draw Concerns for World Cup Host
With the first game of the 2010 World Cup exactly two years away, many in host country South Africa are concerned about rising inflation, increased violence, and skyrocketing costs of stadium construction.
Police Take Control of D.C. Neighborhood
Washington, D.C. police decide to stop everyone entering a neighborhood that has seen 22 killings so far this year, including a recent triple homicide.
New Bike Racks Thwart Theft
A new design for a public bike rack could help prevent crime.
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
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
