Why Hasn't Chicago's Homicide Rate Droppped Like New York City's?


Homicides in New York City and Chicago 1965-2001

How do Chicago and New York's homicide rate compare to other cities like Los Angeles, Detroit, New Orleans, and London? What is the range of homicide rates within large cities across the world?

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation has funded a study "Violence, Gangs, and the Re-Division of Space in Chicago." to answer the question why Chicago's homicide rates haven't fallen like they have in New York City.

Could differences in policing strategies cause such different patterns in violence? What about the processes that have led to the consolidation of Chicago's ghetto in the 21st century? Might level of segregation be related to homicide? Look at our animationof the growth of the Chicago ghetto in the 2oth century.(For a photo gallery for dial-in connections)

Might gentrification and the displacement of housing project residents contribute to instability in Chicago and its persisting high rates of violence? Does aggressive policing cause a decline in homicide? See what even liberals are saying about the effectiveness of police.

John Hagedorn and other Great Cities researchers will be looking at these and other questions over the next few years. This web page will display data from the study and other public documents and reports.