Urban regeneration projects and crime: evidence from Glasgow

Abstract

Abstract This study investigates the effects of urban regeneration on crime, leveraging recent large-scale regeneration projects—called Transformational Regeneration Areas (TRAs)—in Glasgow, Scotland. We employ a difference-in-differences approach that makes use of variation in both the timing of TRA implementation, and in proximity to these areas to measure exposure to urban regeneration projects. We find a large and significant reduction in crime within 400 m of TRAs but this effect fades as we move further away. Simultaneously, we find no evidence of city-wide reductions in crime after urban regeneration.