Citation

Legewie J. Demography 2018; 55(5): 1957-1977.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. jlegewie@fas.harvard.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Population Association of America, Publisher Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s13524-018-0708-1

PMID

30209733

Abstract

Neighborhood boundaries are a defining aspect of highly segregated urban areas. Yet, few studies examine the particular challenges and spatial processes that occur at the bordering region between two neighborhoods. Extending the growing literature on spatial interdependence, this article argues that neighborhood boundaries-defined as sharp changes in the racial or socioeconomic composition of neighborhoods-are a salient feature of the spatial structure with implications for violent crime and other outcomes. Boundaries lack the social control and cohesion of adjacent homogeneous areas, are contested between groups provoking intergroup conflict, and create opportunities for criminal behavior. This article presents evidence linking racial neighborhood boundaries to increased violent crime. The findings illustrate the importance of neighborhood boundaries for our understanding of spatial dimensions of population dynamics above and beyond the characteristics of neighborhoods.

Language: en

Keywords

Crime; Neighborhood boundaries; Neighborhoods; Segregation; Spatial inequality