The focus of this podcast was to describe ways in which an increase access to public spaces for communities of color, minorities, and low-income families help reduce violent crime rate, specifically in the City of Rockford. Rockford is located on the northern part of Illinois and about an hour and 36 minutes northwest of Chicago. It has a population of about 150,000, which makes it the fourth-largest city in the state. Rockford is considered a car-centered city, which has resulted in the placement of highways that have cut off neighborhoods where people of color reside (Green, 2021). Therefore, they have limited access to transportation to get safely to a public space. Also, Rockford is considered one of the most dangerous cities in Illinois because of violent crimes. There must be increased access to existing public spaces and design new public spaces specifically in neighborhoods with people of color to help reduce violent crime and improve the health of its residents. According to “The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments”, it was found that parks and other green spaces reduce urban crime. This may have to do with the fact that “good public spaces support desirable behaviors and inappropriate public spaces provide the opportunity for increases in criminal behavior” (12). In “Effects on greening and community reuse of vacant lots on crime”, it was found that landscapes can influence a person’s health and safety. Therefore, when communities reuse empty lots as community gardens, it significantly helps reduces violent crimes. Although public spaces help reduce violent crime rates, it is important to help prevent a public space from becoming a territory or space for a crime to occur. On the other hand, it might be influential to have an “eyes on the street” as a form of social control through community efforts in their public spaces (Kondo et. al. , 2016). After looking through various research articles regarding the relationship between public spaces and violent crime rate, it is highly beneficial for everyone living in the Rockford area because it has reduced crime in the area. Therefore, since Rockford is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the state of Illinois, Rockford and its residents would benefit from increase access to public spaces as well as to improve their health and well-being. Further, I recommend that more public space be implemented throughout Rockford in low-income areas and areas where there is a minority family residing in.

Bibliography

Browning, C. R. ( 1 ), & Jackson, A. L. ( 2 ). (n.d.). The social ecology of public space: Active streets and violent crime in urban neighborhoods. Criminology, 51(4), 1009–1043. https://doi-org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/10.1111/1745-9125.12026

Green, J. (2021). Rockford leaders discuss effects of infrastructure bill on the area. Allen Media Broadcasting. https://www.wrex.com/news/rockford-leaders-discuss-effects-of-infrastructure-bill-on-the-area/article_59aac4d4-d44f-5b8e-bffe-335b91d1066f.html

Kondo, M. C., Fluehr, J. M., McKeon, T., & Branas, C. C. (2018). Urban Green Space and ItsImpact on Human Health. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(3), 445. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030445

Kondo, M., Hohl, B., Han, S., & Branas, C. (2016). Effects of greening and community reuse of vacant lots on crime. Urban Studies, 53(15), 3279-3295. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0042098015608058?casa_token=jAQlTqg_Z_8AAAAA%3AN4PxLIoWBStSlSFv8fz2rBlLLvD30V-qk8-XfZe-SvCxWzc5y0Td12RTvoRVzBYvnsYn2c1iOsoQ

Shepley M, Sachs N, Sadatsafavi H, Fournier C, Peditto K. The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments: An Evidence Synthesis. Int J Environ Res Public Health.

2019 Dec 14;16(24):5119. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16245119. PMID: 31847399; PMCID: PMC6950486.Vigneswaran, D. (2020). Protection from Violence: Making Space Public in the Streets of Johannesburg. Journal of Southern African Studies, 46(3), 565–580. https://doi-org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/10.1080/03057070.2020.1756570

WIFR Newsroom. (2021). Mayor McNamara: Violent crime on the rise in Rockford. A Gary Media Group, Inc. Station. https://www.wifr.com/2021/09/14/violent-crimes-increasing-forest-city/