Vania Ceccato

ADAPTING GIS TECHNOLOGY TO THE NEEDS OF LOCAL PLANNING

Our objective in this paper is to argue for a new use of geographic information systems—GIS in local planning as an auxiliary tool for decision-making. We review the use of the GIS technique in earlier research studies and represent the empirical findings from using GIS in a quality-of-life study in conjunction with an urban renewal project of a residential area in Stockholm County, Sweden. Special attention is given to the potential of GIS for mapping qualitative data representing peoples needs and judgments about their residential areas. We conclude with a discussion of future challenges in using GIS techniques in combination with the Internet for social analysis in renewal planning. One of the arguments proposed is that the tool can be used to promote the involvement of urban residents.

The geography of homicide in São Paulo, Brazil

The authors investigate geographical patterns of homicide in São Paulo, Brazil. The geography of crime in developing world cities has been an underresearched area in part because of the lack of good-quality, geocoded offence data. In the case of São Paulo the availability of a new digital police dataset has provided the opportunity to improve our understanding of its crime patterns. The authors report the testing of hypotheses about the spatial variation in homicide rates. This variation is explained by poverty, situational conditions determined by differences in land use, and processes that indicate links with the geography of drug markets and the availability of firearms.

Space–Time Dynamics of Crime in Transport Nodes

This article assesses space–time variations of crime rates in underground stations. Drawing on assumptions from time geography, routine activity principles, and defensible space theory, the study investigates daily, weekly, and seasonal variations of crime at underground stations in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Data from extensive field work at the stations was combined with crime records and passenger flow to test whether stations’ environmental attributes affect crime at different times. Geographical information systems, spatial statistic techniques, and modeling underpin the methodology used in the study. Findings show that crimes tend to happen more often in the evening, at night, on holidays, and on weekends. There is also evidence of seasonal variations of crime. In the winter, stations with social disturbance and signs of deterioration show high levels of crime, whereas in the summer, offenses are concentrated in stations nearby alcohol selling outlets. Stations with hiding spots are often targeted for crime during daily peak hours, whereas during holidays, crowded stations and those with alcohol selling outlets attract more criminal activities. Results suggest that the role of the stations’ environment on crime causation varies over time—an important fact for safety interventions.

The Urban Fabric of Crime and Fear

Cities are places of social interaction. Some social interactions – such as being a victim of crime – are unpleasant experiences. We live in a world in which security concerns have become an integr ...

Crime in a City in Transition : The Case of Tallinn, Estonia

The objective of this article is to characterise the criminogenic conditions of an eastern European city experiencing the transition from a planned to a market-oriented economy. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, has been chosen as the case study. The article first describes the various levels of a set of expressive and acquisitive offences in Tallinn and then assesses whether patterns of crime in Tallinn are caused by underlying processes similar to the ones indicated in the Western literature of urban criminology. The study identifies variables that most significantly contribute to the variation of crime ratios using regression models, GIS and spatial statistical techniques. Findings suggest that, although there is no dramatic difference between the geography of crimes in Tallinn and those found in western European and North American cities, some of the explanatory variables function in ways which would not be predicted by Western literature.

Homicide in Estonia

After regaining independence, the homicide rate in Estonia peaked at 29 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 1994. By 2009, the rate had fallen more than four times but it is still one of the highest in Europe. In comparison to 1994, the composition of homicide has changed as the share of criminal homicide has become almost nonexistent and most of the fatal incidence have an expressive nature and occur in the context of arguments between relatives and acquaintances. The authors suggest that there are social, economic, and regional factors that are relevant in analyzing homicide in Estonia, but it is crucial to pay attention to cultural traditions, especially drinking habits.

Is CPTED useful to guide the inventory of safety in parks? A study case in Stockholm, Sweden

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) has long been suggested as a guideline for improving safety in neighborhoods. Yet, little is known about the application of CPTED to urban parks. The aim of this study is to evaluate the adequacy of CPTED principles in guiding the inventory of safety conditions of an urban park. The study begins with a review of the development of CPTED ideas and then focuses on the inspection of a park with a relatively high level of crime in the city of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Site observations, parks inspection, crime mapping of police-recorded data, and interviews with selected users and municipal stakeholders underpin the methodology used in this study. Findings indicate that design and management of the park affect the park’s safety conditions—attributes that are easily identifiable when using CPTED as guidance. The article concludes with several general lessons from using CPTED principles to inventory safety in parks.

Rural crime and community safety

Crime is often perceived as an urban issue rather than a problem that occurs in rural areas, but how far is this view tenable? This book explores the relationship between crime and community in rur ...

Temporal and spatial patterns of suicides in Stockholm’s subway stations

This paper investigates the potential temporal and spatial variations of suicides in subway stations in Stockholm, Sweden. The study also assesses whether the variation in suicide rates is related to the station environments by controlling for each stations location and a number of contextual factors using regression models and geographical information systems (GIS). Data on accidents are used as references for the analysis of suicides. Findings show that suicides tend to occur during the day and in the spring. They are concentrated in the main transportation hubs but, interestingly, during off-peak hours. However, the highest rates of suicides per passenger are found in Stockholms subway stations located in the Southern outskirts. More than half of the variation in suicide rates is associated with stations that have walls between the two sides of the platform but still allow some visibility from passers-by. The surrounding environment and socioeconomic context show little effect on suicide rates, but stations embedded in areas with high drug-related crime rates tend to show higher suicide rates.

Crime prevention in rural Sweden

In this article we report examples of crime prevention (CP) experiences using case studies in rural municipalities in Sweden. Data from three different sources were analysed: semi-structured interviews with representatives of CP groups in eight rural municipalities, responses from an email survey, and a database of CP projects receiving funding from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. Findings show that youth-related problems are the major CP concern, which are translated into projects against violence and alcohol and drug addiction. National CP guidelines overlook the nature of rural crime, its seasonality and what happens outside the urban core. Although CP groups in rural Sweden face a number of challenges, they show indications of being well prepared to address youth-related problems. The article concludes with a summary of results and flags the need to extend the international evidence on crime prevention to include experiences that go beyond large city problems.