The impact of neighborhood location on crime

Abstract

The city of Amsterdam holds one of the highest crime rates in the Netherlands, with nearly 10% of all registered criminal offences in the country having taking place in its municipality in 2019. Scientific research has shown that there are many complex factors that influence where crime takes place within cities and that there are distinct differences between neighborhoods with respect to the types of crime that occur. This study aims to find out whether the geographical location of neighborhoods impacts crime rates, and specifically if the spatial distance from inner cities to other neighborhoods influences crime rates in those respective neighborhoods. Using data from the Nationale Veiligheidsmonitor (2017) and data provided by the municipality of Amsterdam and the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics, three hypotheses were tested. Control variables focused on collective efficacy and resource proximity were added to examine whether any effects found for distance could have been influenced by underlying factors. The results provided no conclusive effect of spatial distance on crime, but rather the significant effects that were found were caused by the variables surrounding collective efficacy and resource proximity. Based on this, further research should take into account characteristics of neighborhood communities and resource proximity within neighborhoods to come to policy implications for communities in disadvantaged neighborhoods and efficient resource allocation to combat crime rates.