Publication Date
3-1975
Advisor(s) - Committee Chair
Mark Lowery II, Wayne Hoffman, Stephen Lile
Degree Type
Master of Public Service
Abstract
The architectural and spatial design and two public housing projects, Brownsville and Van Dyke, located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York, were tested to determine their effects upon the crime rates and mental illness. While keeping the socio-economic factors under limited control, a data comparison approach was used to illuminate any difference in the crime and mental illness rates between the two projects. A significant difference in the crime rates was noticed between them with the Van Dyke Houses having a higher crime rate. Since Van Dyke also had a significantly higher percentage of mental illness than compared to Brownsville Houses, a correlation between the sense of residential security and mental health was drawn. In conclusion, the architectural and spatial design was found to be an important influence in crime deterrence in public housing as well as the cultivation of mental health of the project's occupants.
Disciplines
Architecture | Public Administration | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Recommended Citation
Preece, David, "Crimes & Illness: The Psychological & Criminal Defects Derived from the Architectural & Spatial Design in Public Housing Projects" (1975). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 2721.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2721