Analysis of Spatial Distribution of Crimes in Urban Public Spaces

Abstract

Urban public spaces, especially in big cities, are the spaces most prone to criminal activities. Parks are among the most important public spaces designed for walking, sport, and other recreational activities of an urban population. However, lack of adequate security and surveillance services, especially at night, makes these areas more suitable for illicit and criminal activities. In this article, we proposed and apply a geostatistical approach to study and analyze the distribution of criminal activities in urban parks with respect to their proximity to city centers. As a case study, 24 criteria were selected to evaluate and assess distribution of crimes in Tehran parks using the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) model. The obtained results revealed that five parks had “very suitable” conditions and eight parks had “suitable conditions,” whereas 12 parks had “relatively suitable” conditions. Nine and seven parks had “unsuitable” and “very unsuitable” conditions, respectively, for the presence of citizens in the studied parks. In addition, the results of data analyzed in the Geographical Information System (GIS) using kernel density mode demonstrated that security of parks decreased the farther away they situated from the center of city and with reduction of population density.