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Violent Times: A Case Study of the Ybor City Historic District

NCJ Number
200039
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2003 Pages: 3-29
Author(s)
Terry A. Danner
Editor(s)
Nanci Koser Wilson
Date Published
March 2003
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This case study of the Ybor City Historic District (YCHD) in Tampa, FL, attempts to aid in the understanding of the underlying dynamics of the evolution of violent crime problems and document and specify the factors that appear to have most influenced the violent crime problem in YCHD.
Abstract
The Ybor City Historic District (YCHD) in Tampa, FL, has endured rising levels of violent crime since 1990 with the frequencies of robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault reaching all-time highs. This case study provides an analysis of this urban historic district, tracking the demographic, economic, and public policy trends that influenced its violent crime volumes. It’s a case study of changing routine activities in an urban setting that produced findings that were organized in a way to help understand the underlying dynamics of the evolution of this crime problem. Five research questions were addressed: (1) for the three offense types stated above, what were the reported crime frequency trends in the YCHD since 1980; (2) for which of these violent offenses were the YCHD’s year trends consistently higher than for the surrounding grids and the city of Tampa; (3) what was the relationship between the 22-year trends in reported violent crime in the YCHD and the trends for violent offenses for the surrounding grids and the city of Tampa; (4) how could the variation in measurable indicators of proximate offender pools and suitable target concentrations help explain the 22-year trends; and (5) was there any evidence that deliberate actions to increase guardianship levels in the YCHD suppressed the growth of violent crime? Findings included: (1) macrostructural forces influenced crime volumes; (2) populations drawn to the area’s nightlife had an impact on crime; (3) the victimization risks in YCHD were greater than was average for all of Tampa; (4) the demographics of the areas surrounding the district had less impact on crime there than had been assumed; and (5) the high density of bars facilitated the occurrence of violent crime beyond what would have been generated with other land uses. Insights were drawn from this analysis and used to make public policy recommendations regarding how the fruits of economic boom can be enjoyed while minimizing the threats to persons trying to enjoy them. References

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