Assessing the correlation between bus stop densities and residential crime typologies

Abstract

Crime and disorder surrounding public transit is a serious problem for most public and private policing agencies. Although terrorism targeting public transportation continues to receive appropriate attention, transit users are far more likely to be impacted by typical UCR crime and general disorder. This study mapped out over 600 bus stop locations throughout a midsize Midwest city and conducted a quasi-experimental design to measure the impact of concentrated bus stop locations on crime. The findings indicate highly concentrated bus stop locations may be facilitating crime statistics in targeted locations. Policy implications are discussed debating the spatial responsibility for public transit security and police strategies that include important community-driven solutions. As part of larger gentrification movements, urban planners are encouraged to look at the availability of potential victims within high-crime areas and determine whether routine pathways of these victims are unnecessarily encountering a large clustering of motivated potential offenders because of where public transportation is located.