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Articles

Neighbourhood permeability and burglary: a case study of a city in China

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Pages 298-315 | Received 08 Nov 2020, Accepted 13 Mar 2021, Published online: 02 Apr 2021
 

ABSTRACT

Much research from different fields has explored the crime-space relationship for different crime types with various study units. However, empirical studies in the diverse urban environments get conflict results that support the two contrary planning paradigms, ‘open’ and ‘closed’ solutions. Through a case study in one prosperous city in China, this research tries to detect the relationship between neighbourhood permeability and the burglary distribution pattern with the study unit of neighbourhood committees. This study focuses on three types of permeability, namely socio-economic, physical, and spatial ones. Our findings show that neighbourhoods with generally lower physical or spatial permeability allowing fewer people to enter or pass by are associate with burglary clustering. Socio-economic barriers offer a positive impact on burglary prevention. Nevertheless, the relationship between permeability and crime distribution is not geographically uniform over the whole city. A suggestion for future research is outlined in the conclusion.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zhong Wang

Zhong Wang is a PhD candidate with expertise in architecture and urban study. She graduated from The Bartlett School of Architecture with an MSc in Spatial Design: Architecture and cities.

Jun Lu

Jun Lu, PhD, Assistant Professor in Architecture and a member of the Sustainable Built Environment Research Group at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China.

Paolo Beccarelli

Paolo Beccarelli, PhD, Assistant Professor in Architectural Engineering and a member of the Architecture, Culture and Tectonics Research Group at the University of Nottingham.

Chuan Yang

Chuan Yang is a PhD candidate with expertise in economic geography and urban transportation. He holds an MSc in Urban Economic Development from UCL.

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