Neighbourhood Structures and Crime: The Influence of Tenure Mix and Other Structural Factors upon Local Crime Rates

Public policy in the UK has used housing tenure diversification to achieve social mix in deprived areas. Such 'mixed communities' are thought to be more cohesive and sustainable, with reduced crime and antisocial behaviour. However, the articulation of the link between tenure mix and crime is weak and the evidence unclear. Using geocoded crime data for Glasgow for 2001 and 2008 alongside neighbourhood structural data, including tenure mix, this paper examines the influence of neighbourhood structural factors upon annual crime rates as well as upon changing crime rates. Although crime rates are patterned by local tenure structures, the direct effects are not large. The strongest associations with local crime rates are for income deprivation levels and the number of alcohol outlets in an area. Although housing tenure structures play a part in influencing local crime rates, it may be more a result of sorting effects than neighbourhood effects.