Neighborhood Walkability and Crime: Does the Relationship Vary by Crime Type?

Abstract

We draw on theoretical insights from criminology in using the Walk Score index to analyze walkability’s relationship to spatial crime patterns on Los Angeles city blocks. Results from our first set of negative binomial regression models show that walkability had an especially strong linear effect on robbery rates: a 24% increase in the robbery rate accompanied a 10-point increase in Walk Score on a block, controlling for the effects of local businesses and sociodemographic characteristics. Our second set of models reveals that walkability exerted variable nonlinear influences on spatial crime patterns. Our final set of models suggests that the walkability–crime relationship might depend on neighborhood social organization: When walkability is high, low-income blocks might experience sharp rises in rates of predatory violence as compared with more advantaged blocks. This research highlights the importance of considering the mechanisms involved in walkability’s impact on the spatial distribution of individual crime types.