Comparing spatial patterns of robbery: Evidence from a Western and an Eastern European city
2008 (English)In: Cities, ISSN 0264-2751, E-ISSN 1873-6084, Vol. 25, no 4, p. 185-196Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
In this paper, we test hypotheses about the spatial variation in rates of robbery in West and East European cities (Cologne, Germany and Tallinn, Estonia). This comparison represents an interesting case study because Tallinn is an example of former socialist cities which have undergone a period of profound political and socio-economic change since the country's independence in the early 1990s (including EU membership). These changes are expected to have implications for the level and composition of offences as well as their geographies. Using cross-sectional datasets, we examine whether or not levels and patterns of robbery in Tallinn follow similar processes to the ones found in Cologne applying GIS (Geographical Information System) and spatial statistical techniques. Findings show that although levels of robberies (rates) are higher in Tallinn than in Cologne, their geography (ratios) follows the same overlapping components of social contexts, as social disorganization and, particularly, routine activities.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2008. Vol. 25, no 4, p. 185-196
Keywords [en]
robbery, space-time patterns, GIS, Tallinn, Cologne, routine activities, collective efficacy, social exclusion, hot-spots, crime, neighborhoods, multilevel, ethnicity, germany
National Category
Social Sciences Human Geography
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-17804DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2008.04.002ISI: 000258980000001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-47549116529OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-17804DiVA, id: diva2:335849
Note
QC 20100525
2010-08-052010-08-052022-06-25Bibliographically approved