In this chapter, we examine the second of three key elements of risky places and discuss ‘risky nodes.’ We consider risky places here at the ‘meso’ level, which is larger than individual land parcels or facilities, where multiple features are close together. These can even be considered as ‘mega’ or ‘super’ facilities, such as a sports stadium or large train station. Nodes represent a convergence of people or information in urban spaces. We examine parks, stations, shopping malls, stadiums, education campuses, public housing, and night-time entertainment zones. We find the risk is not equal, and the 80/20 principle applies; crime is concentrated at a small proportion of these nodes. This chapter considers how risk varies across similar risky nodes and between different types of risky nodes. We demonstrate these patterns not just in the Global North but also in the Global South. We explore how people use these settings, the connectedness within these nodes, and how the management of these settings all contribute to its criminogenic. We also investigate new forms of interaction between the physical and cyber environments, which create new opportunities for crime.
Part of ISBN 9781003281030
QC 20241107