Determining the Effects of Rail Transit on Crime
Date
2015
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Haverford College. Department of Economics
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Commuter rail provides cities numerous economic benefits, such as the mitigation of air pollution and traffic congestion, as well as another mode of transportation for city residents. Although rail transit can positively impact neighborhoods in numerous ways, there is concern that it may increase the accessibility of areas for criminals. My research utilizes a panel data set of neighborhood crime in Atlanta, Georgia, in order to determine the impact that rail transit has on crime. The results from using a random-effects estimator indicate that neighborhoods in close proximity to rail stations in Atlanta have higher crime rates than neighborhoods that are further away from them. This is also the case in areas close to rail stations where housing values are higher, as compared to areas with high housing prices that are further away from a station and areas close to stations that have lower housing prices. Furthermore, I find that areas close to stations that have high poverty rates tend to have less crime.