Violence, place, and health: A review of the literature

Abstract

The interrelationship of crime and health at microgeographic places is an understudied area of research. While research on the geography of health provides an ecological perspective on the role of the built environment and how the use of public spaces impacts well-being, the role of crime and violence in these places is not typically a central focus. Alternatively, a subset of criminological studies has been interested in the effects of crime and disorder on health, particularly mental health, but typically at larger units of analysis such as neighborhoods. Our article provides a systematic review of research on the intersection of crime and health at microplaces, with a focus on violence and stress-related health outcomes. Our systematic search produced eight relevant studies on the relationship between violence and health at the microgeographic level. These largely fall under studies interested in public spaces, such as parks, or residential spaces. A relatively new large-scale survey in Baltimore has also been increasingly utilized to investigate these questions and holds much promise for future inquiry. Directions for future research will also be discussed.