Urban Poverty and Neighborhood Effects on Crime: Incorporating Spatial and Network Perspectives

Abstract

Research on neighborhoods and crime is on a remarkable growth trajectory. In this article, we survey important recent developments in the scholarship on neighborhood effects and the spatial stratification of poverty and urban crime. We advance the case that, in understanding the impact of neighborhoods and poverty on crime, sociological and criminological research would benefit from expanding the analytical focus from residential neighborhoods to the network of neighborhoods individuals are exposed to during their daily routine activities. This perspective is supported by reemerging scholarship on activity spaces and macro-level research on inter-neighborhood connections. We highlight work indicating that non-residential contexts add variation in criminogenic exposure, which in turn influence offending behavior and victimization risk. Also, we draw on recent insights from research on gang violence, social and institutional connections, and spatial mismatch, and call for advancements in the scholarship on urban poverty that investigates the salience of inter-neighborhood connections in evaluating the spatial stratification of criminogenic risk for individuals and communities.

Moving to opportunity and mental health: Exploring the spatial context of neighborhood effects

“…While this is an important debate, the definition of the spatial context of housing is not simply a measurement issue as much as it is fundamentally a conceptual issue (Chaix et al, 2006; Crowder and South, 2008; Graif et al, 2014; Morenoff, 2003). Yet the conceptual and empirical work that builds on these recent insights is still in its infancy.…”

“…Some discussions have centered on the appropriate size, boundaries, and shape of neighborhoods, whether administratively or more subjectively defined (Grannis, 2005). Others note that independent of appropriate neighborhood definitions, people often navigate a geographic and cultural space that cuts across neighborhood boundaries (Diez Roux and Mair, 2010; Graif, et al, 2014; Sampson, 2008; Sampson et al, 1999). Further, recent research has utilized the idea of the “perceived neighborhood”, whereby respondents determine their own idea of what constitutes their neighborhoods (in terms of boundaries) rather than using administratively defined or researcher defined conceptualizations (Vallée et al 2011; Chaix et al 2012).…”

From social networks to health: Durkheim after the turn of the millennium

“…Several papers in this Special Issue raise exactly such questions. How, for example, are social networks shaped by geographic space (adams, Faust, & Lovasi, 2012; Graif, Gladfelter, & Matthews, 2014)? New technologies appear to transcend the spatial dimensions often thought to hinder friendship and affiliation, and health information from across the globe is available on the Internet in just a few clicks.…”

Neighborhood isolation in Chicago: Violent crime effects on structural isolation and homophily in inter-neighborhood commuting networks

“…First, we only examine commuting ties, yet there are other ways that communities are connected (Velez et al 2012; Sampson 2012; Graif et al 2014; Papachristos et al 2013; Schaefer 2012). The advantage of commuting ties is that they are a) directly related to the theoretical core of Wilson’s point about the disappearance of work in inner city neighborhoods; b) they represent daily routine flows based on multiple residents—increasing the possibilities for social interaction and resource or information exchanges over space; and c) carry multiple potentially positive implications for the community, as noted below.…”

“…To the extent that large groups of people travel to other neighborhoods for work or other activities, they may forge invisible lifelines across space, through which critical information and resources may travel. Understanding how violence shapes neighborhood isolation from larger citywide networks may uncover unique avenues for distressed neighborhoods to gain economic and political leverage to alleviate existing distress (Graif et al 2014; Velez et al 2012). …”