Population growth and its paradox: An investigation into the correlates of four forms of violence in a rapidly expanding suburb

Abstract

Population growth and demographic changes were an important part of recent discourse about suburban areas, but research on the importance of rapid population growth for crime in suburban areas has been limited. A recent study found that rapid population growth in this city was not associated with changes in arrests for violent or property crime, which was counter to what was expected given the substantial body of research about increased violence in rapidly developing rural boomtowns. The findings of that study raised questions about whether rapid population growth was associated with changes in crime in all contexts and whether commonly assessed neighborhood level predictors of violence in urban and rural studies operated in the same fashion in suburban areas. The current study engages with this by examining the importance of population growth for changes in calls for service for four forms of violence in a rapidly growing suburban city. Findings indicate rapid population growth was not associated with an increase in violence overall, but that certain forms of violent behavior were more likely to increase. Further, the findings suggest neighborhood level population changes had different implications for changes in specific forms of violence.