Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the assumptions supporting initiatives. The central dynamics described by the incivilities thesis need to be folded into the broader work in human ecology urban sociology and reactions to crime. The book examines, using empirical evidence, the linkages policymakers believe to exist. It discusses whether incivilities, assessed or perceived, contributed to decade-long relative changes in crime rates or changes in fundamental neighborhood fabric. The book examines lagged impacts of incivilities on fear of crime and local commitment. It looks at political-organizational changes over time in neighborhoods. Social disorganization is distinct from juvenile delinquency although socially disorganized communities can have high delinquency levels. Delinquency and high community crime rates each may emerge from and amplify local social disorganization or weaken local collective efficacy or local social capital.