The association between blighted property remediation and domestic crime by alcohol availability
Researchers evaluating a place-based, blight remediation effort in New Orleans found that the intervention was associated with increased incidence of domestic crime. However, the increases in domestic crime were lower in areas with a higher density of bars in which alcohol is consumed onsite (as opposed to liquor or convenience stores). Thus, place-based interventions to reduce blighted properties may have contributed to fewer domestic crime incidents in areas with more bars.
These findings suggest that neighborhood context may matter a great deal for the effectiveness of place-based interventions.