Analysis of the influence of urban rail stations on neighborhood crime

Public transportation is an important service that is provided in most urban areas and has the general support of communities. However, the location of transit stations has generated much concern in related neighbourhoods because of their perceived link to crimes. In this study, observational before-after with comparison group analyses is used to compare the changes in the number of crimes (assault, robbery, burglary, vehicle and mischief) in the surrounding neighbourhoods before and after the opening of five transit train stations in the City of Calgary, Canada. To control for other contributing factors, the differences in the number of crime are computed relative to changes in the corresponding crime numbers in the rest of the city. We find mixed results, with certain crime rates increasing in some communities, decreasing in a few and remaining unchanged in others.