Influence of Public Lighting on Crime Rate - Essay Example

RESEARCH PROPOSAL THE INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC LIGHTING ON CRIME RATE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD 2006 Introduction Since ancient times philosophers and architects were confident of the effects urban planning and design makes on diverse aspects human behaviour. Already Aristotle and Plato used to explain the differences in mentalities and behaviour between urban and rural residents with the differences in environmental factors. Also many sceptics are critical in their belief of correlations between urban planning and human behaviour, this linkage is quite apparent. Looking for the apartments most people start from selecting a favourable city area with much green, convenient transportation, facilities for leisure, etc. Either consciously or unconsciously these variables influence on residents’ health behaviour significantly. Urban planning and design may affect human personality and its behaviour in multiple ways: to a greater or lesser extent all people are the products of their areas. Already in the late XIX century French sociologist F. Siegfried defined that there are several major cleavages in society that affect human mentalities and behaviour. The most important of these cleavages was the one between cities and towns. Presumably, city planning may be one of the most important factors that determine differences between the residents. Intensification of city’s life on human mentality and behaviour requires, hence, more in-depth analysis. Speaking from this perspective, favourable or unfavourable planning may shape people’s health behaviour and, respectively evil or good health habits. Statistic shows that percentage of children-smokers may be higher in the neighbourhoods where the average percent of smokers is greater. People who live in more favourable areas may be more devoted walking, running or outdoor activities than those who live outside the recreation options. Observing Suarez (2000) narrow streets, wide sidewalks, and accessibility of commercial to residential areas make walking easier and much more pleasant. Reversely, poor street design with garages, fences and plenty of barriers for neighbour-to-neighbour communication have altogether negative effect on human health behaviour. Besides, the areas with worse transportation systems, poor night lighting, etc. may be in their turn more dangerous for the residents and have higher criminal statistics. In this project I will attempt to study the correlation between area’s night lighting and criminal rate. Theoretical background of the research project A number of disciplines, including criminology, sociology, psychology and architecture, seek to explain crime from their particular perspectives. Many of them conclude that night lighting is a significant factor in criminal rate in the area. Also the areas with poor artificial light are stereotyped and traditionally considered as those with higher criminal rates there have been very few studies examining the correlations between these variables. Scientific researches undertaken in late 1970s demonstrated that there has been no significant increase of criminal behaviour in darker areas. However, some recent studies show that light may reduce a crime rate to a certain extent. Surprisingly, another group of studies showed that night lighting may also increase crime in the area, particularly in the cases when offenders need light to detect potential targets in low-risk situations (Eck, 2002). It is quite clear that such equivocal studies make the issue of light effect on crime highly debated in modern literature of urban planning and health behaviour. While it is quite logical to assume that outdoor lighting may reduce crime at night, several studies show that night lighting may have some influence on daytime crime. Thus, it may not be the effect of light itself but rather the influence of some other variables, like area’s design, traffic, welfare of residents, etc. Thus, regardless of the commonly accepted stereotype that good night lighting decreases street crime the empirical findings available seem to be controversial. Hafey (2004) used the US national-wide data (1997 American Housing Survey) to define that crime rates are higher in the areas with newer buildings, particularly with increased density of housing and nearby commercial and trade centres. The role of lighting has not been reported. Despite efforts undertaken by the UK authorities to install more and brighter lighting in the cities and towns street crime in the country rose by 28% since 1997 until early 2002 (Clark, 2002). A series of studies undertaken in the US in 1970s – 1980s demonstrated quite ambiguous results. Researches have found out that while night lighting might be effective in prevention of crime in some areas, it might also be a factor contributing to crime rate increase in certain cases. There is also limited effect of night lighting on multiple kinds of crime behaviour. For example, there is no causality between lighting and juvenile delinquency as far as over ninety percent of juvenile crime is committed right after the school hours. Home violence and rapes have been found of no relationship to city lightning either. Another problem associated with increased lighting is destroying of light bulbs (Barker and Bridgeman, 1994). UK researchers Ramsay and Newton (1991) did not find any significant effect of lighting on crime rate. The only correlation they found was decreased fear of residents of crime in the areas with better night lighting. Multiple surveys undertaken in England and Scotland and covered both metropolitan areas and small rural communities failed to find any significant relationship between improved night lighting and criminal behaviour. Only in the areas with day and night schedule of work (e.g.: molls, gas stations) improved lighting was found to reduce crime rate. These ambiguous findings made many scholars sceptical in respect to the role of lighting in decreasing criminal rate in the area. Instead, the issue of urban planning and its effect on crime has become more commonly used explanatory variable in the “area-crime” dyad (Enger, 1005). Thus, comprehensive research of the problem since 1970s in the UK and US generally concluded that the effect of night light on criminal behaviour in the area is unknown or the correlation is rather insignificant. Nevertheless, regardless dozens empirical surveys both common sense and crime preventing practitioners keep believing that improved lighting can minimize if not prevent crime in urban areas. Besides, many theorists consider lighting to be a panacea in fight for crime. However, as defined above, though improved lighting may reduce crime rate in some cases and areas, in general there is no defined correlation between light and crime. Study objectives and research hypothesis The study attempts to explain the correlation between the street night lighting and crime rate in the area. Particularly, the project will be focused on defining whether the light can increase or on the contrary decrease crime rate in certain areas (i), and are there other than light variables that need to be considered (and have a more profound effect) when analysing urban crime rate (ii). These additional factors that need to be contributed to the research model are: neighbourhood planning, transportation, population structure, etc. Research hypotheses: Also there is a certain correlation between the night lighting and crime in urban territories, night lighting itself can not serve the one and only explanatory factor here. The other factors that contribute to night crime in the areas are, particularly, urban design, poverty, and architecture in the area. Improved light more influences people’s subjective feeling of safety then the factor of crime prevention. Thus, the light studies taken alone cannot provide reliable information about the crime rate in the area. There is a strong necessity to include other factors in the research frame. Target audience The outlined problem may be both important and interesting to a wide number of stakeholders including first of all: Urban residents who need to be aware of the factors that may increase or on the contrary decrease crime rate in the area Criminologists who will better understand the linkages between night lighting (and other variables) and crime behaviour Psychologists and sociologists who will have some new insights into the nature of criminal psychology Architect and city planners who will find better solutions of reducing crime rate in urban areas Data resources and method of data collection to be used in the study The planned survey requires multiple data for further research analysis. As far as several explanatory variables will be included into the research frame, there is a need to gather the following type of information: Information of crime rates in urban areas: will be retrieved from governmental websites and reports (UK National Criminal Intelligence DNA Database) Characteristics of urban design and lighting in the area: will be retrieved via telephone survey or interview with appropriate representatives of local authorities. Besides, government census will be used in order to control the changes in population and its socio-demographic structure (UK official statistic bureau). However, the data taken and analysed alone cannot provide an insight into the nature of the problem due to very simple reason. The surveys of this kind always need a reference point for comparison. In order to compare the influence of night lighting (and urban design) on crime behaviour two most reliable ways exist. The first way is to use the control group and compare the crime rates in visibly comparable areas with better and worse lighting. This way has both its advantages and disadvantages. Particularly, the survey will be taken literally “here and now” but, however, it would be difficult and methodologically ungrounded to find the reference areas for comparison. The second way is to compare crime rates in the selected areas in mid 1990s (prior to introduction of lighting policy in the UK cities) and 2006 after the lighting has been improved in all country’s urban areas (as reported)1. This approach seems to be methodologically more reliable in case statistical weighing of population is employed. This is important in order to detect and level demographic changes in the respective regions that might have occurred within this decade. Otherwise, changed socio-demographic structure (e.g.: growing migration, birth-rate, increased unemployment, etc.) may negatively affect the results. Besides, there is also a need to control if the territories under research were not significantly reconstructed within this period of time. Sampling definition and questionnaires design The nature of the present study does not require national sampling a priori. Being undertaken in England, the data may be then extrapolated on the rest territories without significant methodological and statistical error. The reference for this methodology may be Ross (2000) study where the data from Illinois were then generalized on the whole US population. Therewith, the sampling will be limited with the urban territories within England. The next question that needs to be answered is what territories will likely to be included into the sampling. This question, however, does not have a clear answer. Enger (2005) in his research of planning effect on crime in Minnesota sampled the cities that undergone rapid growing in 1900-2000. However, in present case this methodology will not work, as it will require then accurate weighing of population changes. Instead, it seems to be more methodologically correct to include several types of urban settlement, i.e.: metropolitan cities (London, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, and Liverpool), other significant cities (Brighton, Newport, Plymouth, Sheffield, etc.), other key towns (Gravesend, Folkston, Luton, etc.). The sampling of these cities will be then narrowed down to include the most representative cities in each cluster and from which city planners would respond. It is important to subdivide each of selected cities on specific territories to make the research more reliable. As the studies analysed above demonstrated that there are differences in light effect on crime in different types of neighbourhood, it is important to select at least three types of urban areas, i.e.: the areas with intensive day and night living (e.g.: central areas, shopping areas, etc.); and residence areas (generally peripheral neighbourhoods) where night life is minimal. Besides, as night light may clearly not be the only reason that influences crime rate in the urban areas, there is also a need to include different urban areas into the sampling. It is reasonable to measure these types with two general areas, which have been found to have different effect on crime, i.e.: areas with newer constructions and areas with old buildings (Enger, 2005). Also many data will be accessible in a “ready-to-take” form there is a strong need to use questionnaires in order to address city planners and residents2. The city planners would be asked about the changes in lighting that occurred within the 1995-2006 decade. The tentative questionnaire for the planners would be the following: 1. When the lighting program was introduced in the _____________ area? Prior to 1995 1999 2003 1996 2000 2004 1997 2001 2005 1998 2002 2006 Was not introduced at all 2. What was the lighting in the area prior to program introduction (in % to present) Read More