Catching up the Science of Problem Properties: The Microspatial Dynamics of Crime, Disorder, and Property Management

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

Criminologists and police departments alike have long sought to understand and address the stark variation in crime across a given city. In recent years, this has given rise to an emerging law enforcement strategy that concentrates on "problem properties" that generate dramatically more crime and disorder than other properties on their street or in their neighborhood. Such efforts, however, have gone ahead of the science--at this time there is little foundational knowledge to guide their design and few evaluations of their effectiveness. This project will advance the science of problem properties and translate it into effective interventions by pursuing three questions. First, what are the microspatial dynamics of crime and disorder at addresses? Second, what are the implications of a law enforcement strategy that implicitly targets landowners and tenants for property management and use? Third, how do the answers to the first two questions interact with street and neighborhood factors? The project will leverage an existing partnership between the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI), an NSF Research Coordination Network, and the City of Boston's Problem Properties Task Force (PPTF). It will comprise three components. (1) The analysis of archival data provided by BARI's Boston Data Portal, including 911 and 311 reports of crime and disorder, ownership information, and other administrative records and social media posts, will offer insights into the different types of problem properties, as well as factors that predict their emergence and persistence. (2) Observation at and nearby problem properties and matched non-problem properties and surveys of landowners and tenants will provide a richer view of local conditions, patterns of property management, and interactions with the neighborhood. (3) BARI and the PPTF will design and conduct an experimental evaluation of problem property interventions through a randomized control trial. The evaluation will be interpreted via the data products, analytic techniques, and theoretical insights generated in Parts 1 and 2 of the project with a focus on questions of crime displacement and impacts on the behavior of property owners. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.