ABSTRACT
According to broken windows theory, neighborhood physical and social disorder cause residents to be fearful and retreat from their neighborhoods. Broken windows theory has influenced policy, most notably in the policing arena. This chapter aims to investigate the relationship between broken windows or neighborhood disorder, and subjective quality of life. In so doing, it extends broken windows theory and examines whether one key assumption of the theory is empirically supported. To assess the impact of disorder on quality of life, a telephone survey of residents living in two large southeastern cities was conducted. The survey included several sections including demographic questions and questions about quality of life issues, social networks, neighborhood disorder, health, and interpersonal relationships. Utilizing ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression, the chapter explores differences in reported quality of life for a basic model that included demographic variables, an expanded model with composite predictor measures included, and a series of full models with disorder variables added.
