THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND ITS INFLUENCE ON CRIME AND FEAR OF CRIME IN THE HETEROGENEOUS CONTEXT OF ‘ASTIR’ NEIGHBORHOOD

Abstract

Environmental criminology is a field that finds more room in big cities such as Tirana where crime rates are higher. Not all parts of the city, have the same crime rates, depending on different factors such as the physical factors and social aspects. Parts of the city where the crime is higher are considered ‘hot spots’. The focus of the study is one of Tirana’s neighborhoods, the ‘Astir’ zone. As a new neighborhood, ‘Astir’ had a rapid and mostly informal growth during the last decade, but being part of the ‘Big Ring’ project, a lot of transformations are changing the neighborhood. The study evaluates the reasons for considering ‘Astir’ a ‘hot spot’ in terms of crime from the resident’s perspective and environmental analysis. The study employs mixed methods, developing questionnaires of ‘Astir’ residents and visitors, observations, mappings, and photo shooting. The questionnaires include the ‘Astir’ residents and visitors who chose to pass time there, to understand what attracts the outsiders to approach the neighborhood. The results identify factors affecting the crime rates to be high, and how environmental design can be used as a tool to prevent crime. In a heterogeneous context the elements that affect crime rates are overpopulation, high commercial and residential density, presence of a high number of bars and night clubs, low maintenance and lighting problems, not enough open public spaces, unbalanced community stabilizers.