Street Renovations: A Surprising Way to Cut NYC Violence

Did you know that fixing up streets can actually reduce violence in a city? This might sound strange, but research has shown that street construction projects in New York City were linked to a decrease in certain types of crimes. From 2010 to 2019, the city saw fewer incidents of reckless endangerment, robbery, and weapons offenses on streets where construction projects were completed. Interestingly, planning a project but not finishing it didn't seem to make much of a difference. So, it's not just the idea of fixing something that helps, but actually getting it done. This study looked at over 155, 000 street sections, or 'street-quarters', across 40 calendar quarters. They found that on streets where projects were completed, there was about a 1. 3% drop in reckless endangerment, a 3. 4% drop in robbery, and a 1. 6% drop in weapons offenses. These results suggest that there might be a connection between a well-kept street and a safer community. But why does this happen? Some experts think that when a street is improved, it might change how people behave. A nicer street could make it feel safer, so people might be less likely to commit crimes. It could also show that the community cares about the area, which might deter criminal activity. However, it's important to remember that this study only found a link between street construction and certain types of crime. It didn't prove that one directly caused the other. Also, the drops in crime rates were quite small. So, while fixing up streets might help reduce some types of crime, it's probably not the only solution we need to make our communities safer.