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ABSTRACT
This research examines the effects of population displacement after the demolition of the Robert Taylor Homes (in Chicago's 2nd Police District) on crime in neighboring police districts that serve impoverished, racially segregated, high-crime neighborhoods where many former residents relocated. The objective is to analyze possible relationships between the demolition of the housing project and crime trends of murder, robbery, and total reported index crime in surrounding police districts and police beats through the use of hotspot analysis.
Key Words: crime mapping, hotspot analysis, Chicago, Robert Taylor Homes, index crimes
INTRODUCTION
The history of public housing in the United States, especially in the highly populated northern industrial cities, has been a dismal failure. In Chicago, this effort was initiated after World War II to provide housing to a growing African-American population (Roosevelt University 2013). Two main areas, the Cabrini-Green area of north-central Chicago and the Robert Taylor Homes of south Chicago were the largest and densely populated high-rise public housing developments developed in the city. Hunt (2009) examined these areas and described the deteriorating conditions, subsequent high levels of crime, negative perceptions of the area, and lack of federal funds, factors that pushed Chicago officials to reexamine the "high-rise" design. In the 1990s, Mayor Richard M. Daly, in coordination with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), initiated the "Plan for Transformation." The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) claims this was the most ambitious redevelopment effort of public housing the United States. The Plan's aim was to build and strengthen communities by integrating public housing and its leaseholders into the larger social, economic, and physical fabric of Chicago (CHA 2013).
In recognition of the "high-rise" failure, the CHA began demolishing these distressed buildings. Starting with the largest, the Robert Taylor Homes (RTH), demolition began in 1998 and was completed by 2008. This sizeable south Chicago complex included 28 sixteen-story high rises, spanning several city blocks, with a total of 4,321 units housing an estimated population of nearly 27,000 (CHA 2010). Today, the area of the RTH is now a mixed-use, mixed-income development comprised of nearly 2,300 apartment buildings, condos, and some single family homes, coupled with commercial and retail venues premised on ideas of New Urbanism (New Urban News 2002).
While revitalization efforts...