Life Science

Land Use and Opportunities for Crime:

Using GIS as an Analysis Tool

Vinay M. Suryavanshi

Major Paper submitted to the Faculty of the

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Diane L. Zahm, Chair

Alnoor Ebrahim

Laurence W. Carstensen

May 22, 2001

Blacksburg, Virginia

Key words: Land Use, Urban Form, Routine Activities, Crime, GIS

Copyright 2001, Vinay M. Suryavanshi

Land Use and Opportunities for Crime:

Using GIS as an Analysis Tool

Vinay M. Suryavanshi

(ABSTRACT)

It is important to identify the link between land use and opportunities for crime in

order to create safer living environments in cities. Changes in land use change urban form

and this leads to changes in the routine activities of people, which in turn creates new

opportunities or changes existing opportunities to commit crime. This link is supported

by theories in the field of environmental criminology. There is a need for data and

information in order to understand this link and to make decisions on strategies that are to

be implemented for reducing opportunities for crime. GIS has emerged as a powerful

analysis tool to support the decision-making process involved in crime prevention. This

paper tries to identify the informational needs for crime prevention through law

enforcement and planning and the use of GIS to support efficient decision-making.

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to sincerely acknowledge the immense support and guidance offered to me

by my advisor and mentor Dr. Diane L. Zahm. Her research expertise in the field of

Crime Prevention helped me to gather valuable information and to streamline my

thoughts to work on this research paper. I am extremely indebted and thankful to her for

her support, guidance, constructive criticisms and encouragement, which helped me to

complete this paper successfully.

I would also like to thank...