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911, Is There an Emergency? The Effects of Gentrification on 911 Calls in Durham, NC
Abstract
In recent years, urbanization in the United States has led to the displacement of
low-income, minority communities for middle and high-income individuals, a process
termed gentrification. Scholars debate the benefits and consequences of these changes
for the existing populations. One possible effect is the changing of expectations
and norms in city neighborhoods as the population shifts. Similarly, it raises questions
about the interactions between new populations and existing residents. The following
analysis uses urban block groups and Calls to Service data in Durham County between
2006 and 2018. According to established indicators of gentrification, Durham block
groups are gentrifying within this time period with increased population, decreased
Black populations, increased rent, increased education levels, and increased income.
Importantly, the majority of Durham’s urban block groups are experiencing an influx
of Hispanic residents, which is different from previous gentrification trends. Next,
the paper assesses implications from previous literature that with population mixing,
conflict from changing norms and perceptions would lead to increased conflict and
result in greater use of the police for minor incidents. The paper uses simple linear
regression with all indicators on a dependent variable that measures per capita call
frequency. For 911 noise complaints, disturbances, alcohol and drug incidents, and
suspicion calls, the regression results demonstrate that gentrification’s common indicators
did not correlate with increased calls. The same result is found when focusing on
block groups generally susceptible to the effects of gentrification. Therefore, the
paper concludes that the city of Durham did not experience an increase in disturbance
calls with gentrification as predicted by the literature, providing important information
as the city continues to grow.
Type
Honors thesisPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/22349Citation
Vila, Audrey (2021). 911, Is There an Emergency? The Effects of Gentrification on 911 Calls in Durham,
NC. Honors thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/22349.Collections
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