Central to the research is the concept that housing policies and markets comprise a powerful set of mechanisms for influencing the nature of community life, which in turn can reduce crime within the community. The current research program is exploring how housing markets and allocation systems influence the characteristics of high crime communities and how the provision of housing (especially public housing) affects the ability of residential communities to develop the appropriate resources for reducing crime. Previous relevant research conducted during the mid-1970's examined high-crime and low-crime areas within the public and private housing sectors. Currently, a followup study is analyzing how these areas have fared during the intervening years, identifying those internal and external changes, if any, which may have influenced their crime rates. The Home Office is also supporting a number of evaluative studies of initiatives on high-crime public housing estates. An evaluation study is also being conducted for the Priority Estates Project, which helps local authorities to establish estate-based housing management on deteriorating, unpopular estates. 30 references.