Geographies of Urban Crime in Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona, 1998-2002 (ICPSR 4547)

Time Period(s)

1998 -- 2002

Date of Collection

1998 -- 2002

Data Collection Notes

The files are provided in a WinZip archive with 43 files in three folders. The Geographical Data folder provides provides the Nashville, Portland, and Tucson data in geographic files for use with mapping software. The Statistical Data folder provides the Nashville, Portland, and Tucson data in SPSS for Windows 14.0 system files. The Report Files folder contains the final report and a data dictionary for use with the SPSS for Windows 14.0 system files.

Study Purpose

The purpose of the study was to explore how the geographies of different crimes intersect with the geographies of social, economic, and demographic characteristics in urban places and to develop an understanding of the implications of specific contexts of crime and the spatial relationships between those contexts.

Study Design

This research examined violent crime data collected from the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Portland Police Bureau, and the Tucson and South Tucson Police Departments for the years 1998 through 2002. The location and date of each crime was collected, and the data were geo-coded and aggregated to block groups and census tracts. Frequencies of crime for each category were averaged over the five years in the study period to control for anomalous years when there may have been an unexplained spike or fall in crime. Rates were then calculated using the population figures taken from 2000 Census data. Land use data for each city were obtained from the Metro Nashville government, the Portland Metro government, and the Pima County (AZ) Department of Transportation.

Sample

Data are included for 445 block groups and 143 census tracts in Nashville, 457 block groups and 160 census tracts in Portland, and 427 block groups and 126 census tracts in Tucson

Universe

All crimes committed in Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona, between 1998 and 2002.

Unit(s) of Observation

census block group

Data Source

The crime data were collected from the records of the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Portland Police Bureau, and the Tucson and South Tucson Police Departments. Demographic information for Nashville, Portland, and Tucson were collected from 2000 Census data. Land use data for each city were collected from the Metro Nashville government, the Portland Metro government, and the Pima County Department of Transportation.

census/enumeration data, aggregate data, and administrative data

Mode of Data Collection

record abstracts

Description of Variables

These data contain 28 crime variables including: homicide, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, other assaults, stolen property, criminal damage, weapons, commercialized sex, sex offenses, narcotic drug laws, offenses against family and children, driving under the influence (DUI), liquor law, disorderly, and juvenile violations. Several demographic variables are included, such as median family income, percent of families with one parent and children under 18, percent of the population over 25 with a college degree, percent of the population living below the poverty level, percent of population unemployed, percent of the population who are African American, percent of the population who are Latino, percent of the population under age 18, and percent of households with five or more members. The data also include land use variables such as the percent of land in commercial uses, the percent of land in high intensity multifamily housing, and the percent of land in multiple land uses.

Response Rates

Not applicable

Presence of Common Scales

none

Original Release Date

2006-08-31

Version Date

2006-08-31

Weight

none