Transformation of Social (dis)Order: Crime and Safe Urban Spaces

This paper is focused on St. Petersburg neighborhoods as a case study to analyze the variation in crime rates between different districts of the city. In my study, I use the basic CPTED assumptions to check what elements of the environmentalist approach will be adequate to the Russian reality. The study is based on the careful analysis of 111 municipal districts (neighborhoods) of St. Petersburg as a primary analysis unit. I argue that old neighborhoods that happen to be concentrated in the geographical centre of the city have higher crime rates due to their original design to function as multifunctional ‘centre’ attracting people as entertainment venue, business, financial, economic and educational hub. Crime, therefore, is committed mostly by non-residents of these neighborhoods; its prevention requires re-modeling of cite design (which had been attempted) and functional landscapes. Moreover, in this paper I found out which indicators of socio-economic development of the regions, their infrastructure, landscaping, the density of economic and non-economic institutions, along with the socio-demographic features of residents associated with crime.