Age Mix, Physical Design, and Fear of Crime Among Elderly Public Housing Residents

The first explanation of fear of crime among elderly residents of public housing links fear and the related crime and social environments to the age-homogeneity of project residents. The study expanded on previous findings by independently assessing two aspects of age-homogeneity. Density, defined as the percent of the housing population who are elderly, was distinguished from segregation of elderly from nonelderly. Greater density was associated with lower fear and a number of crime and social outcomes for elderly residents. The elderly in age-dense sites perceived the crime problem as less severe, were more socially integrated, perceived greater social order in resident behavior, and experienced greater predictability. Segregation was associated with higher fear and perceptions of local crime as more severe, but it was not related to social outcomes. The second explanation of fear of crime links outcomes to building height and project size. High-rise residents reported lower fear, but they perceived local crime as more severe and worsening. High-rise residents were also less likely to rely on neighbors and more likely to attribute crime problems to other residents. Project size was predictive of only one outcome; crime was perceived as more severe by residents of a large site. Direct comparison indicated that age-homogeneity factors were, in general, more important predictors of outcomes for elderly than were physical design factors. The appendixes contain the study instruments and details of the statistical analysis. Tabular data and 99 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)