A comprehensive review of quantitative research on crime, the built environment, land use, and physical geography

Abstract

This paper provides a comprehensive review of space- and place-based criminology, with a focus on the relationship between crime, the built environment, land use, and/or physical geography, through sociological and critical geography lenses. An historical overview of major criminological and spatial theories and contributors is presented before examining the current state of the field. In honor of critical geography's goal to be “a people's geography,”1 this paper aims to be an accessible overview of space- and place-based criminological research, especially for readers who are unfamiliar with these topics.