Topography of residential burglaries in Atlanta, Georgia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 115-122)Atlanta, Georgia experienced a spike in its residential burglary rate in 2008, peaking at nearly twenty-four and a half percent above the rate of 2007. This study identifies clusters of residential burglaries in Atlanta, temporal frequencies of the crimes and analyzes potential environmental factors that increased criminal activity using a mixed methods approach. A series of quantitative analyses focused on clusters of reported residential burglaries across twelve police beats, spanning both urban and suburban regions of Atlanta. Regression analyses and kernel density tests suggested strong relationships between burglary rates and the socio-economic conditions and neighborhood types in Atlanta. Additional qualitative approaches revealed important environmental attributes influencing the frequency of crime trends and patterns, including neighborhood design and land use. Design elements such as cul-de-sacs, curvilinear streets, and reduced access points appeared to lower rates of burglary, whereas locations with grid-patterned streets experienced higher burglary rates. Furthermore, proximity to schools and railway yards were identified as having a negative impact on burglary rates. Temporal patterns of burglary were found to be consistent across the study area