Youth Violence Prevention through Environmental Design

摘要：暴力犯罪是密歇根州弗林特市一个持续存在的问题，其犯罪率远远超过密歇根州和全国谋杀、强奸、抢劫和严重袭击的犯罪率（FBI, 2012）。尽管弗林特面临着经济和社会挑战，但该市也受益于为社区变革提供坚实基础的资产。我们建议在弗林特选定的大学大道走廊（UAC）地区研究通过环境设计预防犯罪（CPTED）对青少年暴力的影响。大学大道走廊联盟（UACC）是一个社区组织联盟，成立于2012年，其使命是实施《预防结核和肺结核防治》活动，以解决枯萎病和犯罪热点问题，改善社区卫生和安全，稳定土地使用，建立休闲和娱乐区，并在该地区建立和改善通信联系和教育。各成员——包括大学、社区团体、卫生和社会服务组织、地方企业、慈善团体、兄弟组织和执法机构——同意提供资源，解决该地区面临的关键问题，并相互支持彼此的倡议。拟议的评估设计利用了UAC和密歇根青少年暴力预防中心（MI-YVPC）干预区域之间的重叠。MI-YVPC在弗林特2.3平方英里的区域内支持6个项目，并监测了距离YVPC/UAC干预区域1.6英里的比较区域。MI- YVPC收集的犯罪、伤害和财产评估数据使我们能够在2012年启动UACC之前和拟议项目期间为这些指标建立基线。我们将利用2X2设计对整个UACC工作进行结果评估。结果评估将采用准实验设计来评估四种情况的有效性：只有CPTED、CPTED加MI-YVPC干预、只有MI-YVPC干预以及没有实施任何干预的比较区域。我们将通过两种方式对未接受干预的社区进行比较：1)对具有相似暴力发生率和人口特征的社区进行比较分析；2)空间分析，比较所有人口普查区的结果，控制几个混杂变量。研究结果将包括犯罪事件、袭击伤害、财产状况以及居民的看法和行为。我们将利用青少年暴力预防中心的专门知识和数据资源开展一项研究，比较各种类型和强度的预防暴力干预措施。我们与UACC的合作既为解释评估结果提供了有用的输入，又确保了评估完成后项目的可持续性和可扩展性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract Violent crime is a persistent problem in Flint, Michigan, which far surpasses MI and national rates for murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assaults (FBI, 2012). Although Flint faces economic and social challenges, the city also benefits from assets that provide a firm foundation for community change. We propose to examine the effects of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) on youth violence in a selected area of Flint: the University Avenue Corridor (UAC). A coalition of community organizations, the University Avenue Corridor Coalition (UACC), formed in 2012 with a mission to implement CPTED activities to address blight and crime hotspots, improve neighborhood health and safety, stabilize land use, establish leisure and recreational areas, and create and improve communication links and education in the area. Members - including universities, neighborhood groups, health and social services organizations, local businesses, charitable groups, fraternal organizations, and law enforcement - agreed to offer their resources to address critical issues facing the area and support one another's initiatives. The proposed evaluation design capitalizes on an overlap between the UAC and intervention area of the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center's (MI-YVPC). The MI-YVPC supports six programs in a 2.3 square mile area of Flint and has monitored a comparison area 1.6 miles from the YVPC/UAC intervention areas. Crime, injury, and property assessment data collected by MI- YVPC allow us to establish a baseline for these indicators prior to the initiation of the UACC in 2012, and during the proposed project. We will conduct an outcome evaluation of the entire UACC effort utilizing a 2X2 design. The outcome evaluation will employ a quasi-experimental design to assess the effectiveness of four conditions: CPTED only, CPTED plus MI-YVPC interventions, MI-YVPC interventions only, and a comparison area where neither intervention was implemented. We will compare neighborhoods that did not receive the interventions in two ways: 1) comparative analysis across neighborhoods with similar violence incidence and demographic characteristics; and 2) spatial analysis comparing outcomes across all census tracts controlling for several confounding variables. The study outcomes will include crime incidents, assault injuries, property conditions, and resident perceptions and behaviors. We will draw upon the expertise and data resources of the MI-YVPC to carry out a study that compares various types and intensities of violence prevention interventions. Our collaboration with the UACC both provides useful input for interpreting evaluation results, and ensures sustainability and scalability of the program after our evaluation is completed.