Does a neighborhood experience more crime when its population suddenly increases? Are individuals more fearful when they move from a neighborhood they know to one they do not? Sociological and criminological research has clearly substantiated that neighborhoods matter in generating crime; but this research has yet to fully explain how neighborhood change matters. This study examines what happens when traditional, project-based public housing is eliminated and residents have to relocate to private-market rental housing in other neighborhoods. Building on existing baseline interviews, this study will track former public housing residents to (1) examine changes in criminal victimization and fear of victimization at the individual level and (2) identify neighborhoods that receive a disproportionate share of former public housing residents allowing for a geospatial analysis of how patterns of crime change at the aggregate level. Not only will the study take advantage of a unique opportunity to examine the effects of neighborhood change on crime, it has considerable broader impacts. The elimination of project-based public housing is being planned in cities across the country. Understanding the effects of such a large change in housing policy on crime will aid housing authorities and police departments in working together to lessen the potential negative implications of these transitions. Beyond informing public policy, this study will serve as a model of faculty-student mentorship and collaboration. Graduate and undergraduate students at a majority-minority university will take part in all aspects of the study, broadening opportunities in research for underrepresented students.
