Name: Why violence clusters in cities -- and how to reduce it
Uploaded: 2020-07-13T19:30:27Z
Duration: 14 min 42 s
Description: Reducing violence in cities in the US isn't the impossible, intractable challenge many believe it to be, says crime researcher and educator Thomas Abt. He explains how urban violence is "sticky" -- meaning that it clusters among a surprisingly small number of people and places -- and presents an innovative, targeted strategy to make our cities safer, right now, without big budgets or new laws.

Thomas Abt: Why violence clusters in cities -- and how to reduce it

Why violence clusters in cities -- and how to reduce it

Reducing violence in cities in the US isn't the impossible, intractable challenge many believe it to be, says crime researcher and educator Thomas Abt. He explains how urban violence is "sticky" -- meaning that it clusters among a surprisingly small number of people and places -- and presents an innovative, targeted strategy to make our cities safer, right now, without big budgets or new laws.

Urban violence clusters among a small number of people and places, making it both deadly and uniquely solvable. In cities like Boston and Oakland, focused interventions have cut shootings by over half without huge budgets or new laws. Trying to fix root causes like poverty alone takes decades, but saving lives right now requires urgent, targeted action. Violence not only claims lives but also traps entire communities in cycles of trauma and poverty.