3 ms·
> they just don't want the traffic and (perhaps) crime that goes along with density. Something I've been trying to think through recently is that people clearl
by dionidium 5y ago
> they just don't want the traffic and (perhaps) crime that goes along with density.
Something I've been trying to think through recently is that people clearly have some kind of proximity theory of crime. If there is a murder in the building next door to me, then that's going to make me uncomfortable, whether there is one family living in that building or 10. The obvious urbanist (or generic intellectual) response to this is to say, you know, obviously there will be more crimes in a neighborhood with more families, but you should only care about the per capita numbers, not absolute totals.
And increasingly I just think, yeah, obviously that's right, but that answer isn't good enough. Fear of interpersonal violence is lodged deep in our brains and I just don't think you can talk people out of it. You could make everybody in the city attend a class on crime statistics and quiz them at the end to make sure they understand per capita rates, but when those people get home that night they're still going to be worried about the murder that happened next door. And I don't think it's because they're dumb.
- seanmcdirmid 5y agoOur per capita property crime numbers are horrible, and it doesn't have much to do with our neighborhoods being dense so much as it has to do with Seattle being a welcoming place for unhoused neighbors (encampments and derelict RVs on the street drive much of the crime). So we get all the problems from a large region that isn't so welcoming.
- leetcrew 5y agoin general, per capita crime is higher in cities though. some of that is misleading: truly random murders are rare pretty much everywhere. but you're a lot more likely to be the victim of crimes of opportunity (armed robbery, car/home break-ins, etc) when you live in a dense area.
- seanmcdirmid 5y agoRural areas can have horrible crime, like rural New Mexico or the Mississippi delta. It is all very region specific. Alaska is one big example of a state where rural crime is greater than urban crime on a per capita basis.
- dionidium 5y agoIn general, cities are more dangerous: https://twitter.com/RyanRadia/status/1461904766238404611 https://twitter.com/RyanRadia/status/1461904766238404611