Crime and the (Mediterranean) City: Exploring the Geography of (In)security in Rome, Italy

Abstract

The spatial distribution of a selection of crime and demographic indicators in urban and suburban Rome, Italy, was explored in this paper to correlate socioeconomic conditions with urban deviance at local scale. An index of crime concentration was derived at district scale by composing all crime indicators. A principal components analysis was undertaken to correlate crime indicators with the socioeconomic context described through economic and demographic variables, living conditions, and the environmental quality. The geographical distribution of crime in Rome showed a pattern mainly associated to variables including population density, settlement form (compact vs dispersed), income, and unemployment. The spatial distribution of some crime indicators was finally compared with the citizens’ perception of security as it was measured by a specific field survey carried out at the same spatial scale. The paper illustrates that the integration between statistical data and qualitative information collected through field observation is an effective tool to inform policies contrasting criminality at local scale.