Research Overview

Despite recently decreasing crime rates in College Park, fear of crime remains high. Additionally, while the crime rate on the University of Maryland campus is relatively low, crime in off-campus areas continues to be a problem. Crime mapping using spatial analysis techniques allowed the researchers to identify Old Town College Park as a student-occupied, off-campus residential area with a relatively high rate of larcenies, burglaries and robberies. Through a longitudinal case study, quantitative and qualitative data about crimes and students' perceptions of crime in the target area were collected. These data were used to identify trends in how the rate of crime and perception of crime changed in response to the implementation of CCTV cameras in Old Town. These data were also used to identify the correlation between crime level and the existing environmental design of the neighborhood's housing properties.

Research Questions

Following an extensive review and analysis of the literature the following research questions were identified to guide the team's research:
  1. What is the relationship between a routine activity-based intervention and the rate of property crime and robberies in off-campus student residential areas?
  2. What is the relationship between a routine activity-based intervention and students' perceptions of crime?
  3. What is the relationship between crime and the environmental design of properties in the selected area?
Sub-questions of the study are as follows:

Location of Research

More Information

If you are interested in learning more about our project, please feel free to review our thesis and the current version of our presentation, offered below.
Thesis (.docx)
Thesis (.pdf)
Powerpoint Presentation
Watch our presentation on YouTube!