DOI: 10.14457/tu.the.2020.1427
title: The spatial analysis of the street crime impact on the social and economic life in the urban neighborhood of Chittagong City

description: Urbanization and crime nowadays are growing simultaneously. Urban planners, local government, as well as academicians, are trying their best how to bend the growth of crime to enhance the quality of urban life and development. Along with the global scenario, in Bangladesh, urbanization and urban street crime growth are among the highest rates in the South Asian region. Chittagong city is the commercial capital and the second highest most street crime-prone city in Bangladesh. Most of the economic activities and population concentration are in the business and residential neighborhood areas in Chittagong city. Hence, the dissertation attempted to - (i) identify the socio-economic and spatial factors in the occurrence of urban street crime in the residential and business neighborhood areas; (ii) examine the urban street crime impact on the social and economic life on the residential and business neighborhood areas; (iii) investigate the relationship between the fear of street crime and its actual occurrence in the city; (iv) identify the response to the urban street crime by the residential and business neighborhood communities, law enforcement agencies, and urban planning and design approval authority; (v) provide policy recommendations in bending the growth of street crime in Chittagong city. Due to very limited sources of official crime data and the personal secrecy act; primary sources data played a vital role in this dissertation. Six categories of primary sources of data were collected for data triangulation. Major field-level data is composed of the household head in-person questionnaire survey, key informants interviews, small group discussion, and in-depth interviews (residents at street crime hotspots, police officers, and urban planners). Secondary sources data were also gathered from Chittagong Metropolitan Police, Chittagong Development Authority, Chittagong City Corporation's annual reports, books, research reports, journal articles, online sources, etc. contributed a lot to validate the primary sources data. Statistical packages for social sciences (IBM SPSS 24 trial version) software was used for statistical analysis. Qualitative, quantitative, and spatial data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, chi-square test, logistic regression analysis, qualitative statements, etc. For spatial analysis, Arc View GIS 3.2, QGIS 3.4 software, and Arc GIS Maps, etc. tools and techniques were applied to display the point and spatial distribution of street crime patterns, and displaying the various types of street crime impacts on the social and economic life and the responses to bend street crime in Chittagong city. The study found moderate to the low magnitude of street crime in the residential neighborhood areas in Chittagong city. The theft was the topmost in the residential neighborhood and snatching was at business neighborhood areas. Offenders aged 15-30 years were more prone to commit street crimes. Male people (45% more likely than women) were the prime target/victim and then the women. Major socio-economic factors were poverty, lack of parental care and political patronization were identified as the causes of committing a street crime. Governance points of inactive and insufficient police patrolling, local political patronization were found vital hindrances. Problematic urban planning design such as zigzag streets and narrow street patterns, insufficient street lights, etc. were the focal causes of becoming street crime hotspots in the residential and business neighborhood areas. The urban street crime hotspot analysis model of contour map, spatial autocorrelation map, logistic regression model, etc. identified the vulnerable locations and people in the residential and business neighborhood areas in Chittagong city where people are frequently victimized. The urban street crime impacts on social and economic life were found immense. Individuals, families, and society as well the whole city suffered from urban street crime, especially the impacts on psycho-social and economic life was the prime. Impacts on social life (drug addiction, physical and mental harassment, eve-teasing, mental panic, the bad image of the locality, scared to travel alone, etc.) were higher in the residential neighborhoods but the variables of impacts on social life due to street crime were found almost similar. The impacts on economic life (victim of extortion, scared to keep cash, business quit, renter leave, land value reduce, income reduce, etc.) were severe in business neighborhood areas and the variables of impacts on economic life were found also higher in the business neighborhood areas compared with the residential neighborhoods. Community people (community guard), law enforcement agencies (police patrolling), and urban planning and design approval authority (installing streetlights and CCTV cameras) together contributing to preventing urban street crime in the residential and business neighborhood areas in Chittagong city. The effectiveness of current activities was partially successful. The hindrance of effectiveness was lack of strong community cooperation, poor governance in the public institutions and urban local government administration; and ignorance, irresponsibility, and unaccountability in the urban planning and design approval authority. Smooth and effective management points of view, in making the city safe and secure and improving the quality of the urban environment, some initiatives immediately need to take such as installing CCTV cameras and sufficient street lights in the vulnerable points especially street crime hotspots, mass gathering, lonely place, etc.; designing urban street grid-iron road network systems, strengthening community cooperation, ensuring accountability and transparency in the public administration, etc. The outcomes of the dissertation need to take consideration for integrated street crime prevention approach by the policy makers, urban local government as well as community leaders to reduce the impacts of urban street crime on their social and economic life in Chittagong city. Finally, more research and investigation were also needed to identify the impacts of urban street crime on the urban neighborhoods to bend the street crime for improving the quality of life in Chittagong city.