The impact of neighborhood permeability on residential burglary risk: A case study in Seattle, USA

Environmental criminologists and urban design researchers believe that the built environment plays a crucial role in shaping the spatial distribution of crime; however, their views on the relationship between neighborhood permeability and crime conflict with each other. By adopting street configuration and land-use mix as variables of neighborhood permeability, this study analyzed whether permeable street configuration and mixed land use that triggers ordinary routine activities could impact residential burglary risks. Findings show that well-integrated road networks, both global and local, and certain types of commercial facilities (i.e., offices and grocery stores) were negatively associated with the crime density of residential burglary. The study indicates that designing street segments that increase the potential for pedestrian movement and mixing land uses that facilitate utilitarian walking by community members can discourage criminal opportunities.