Land use and Opportunities for Crime: Using GIS as an Analysis Tool

It is important to identify the link between land use and opportunities for crime in order to create safer living environments in cities. Changes in land use change urban form and this leads to changes in the routine activities of people, which in turn creates new opportunities or changes existing opportunities to commit crime. This link is supported by theories in the field of environmental criminology. There is a need for data and information in order to understand this link and to make decisions on strategies that are to be implemented for reducing opportunities for crime. GIS has emerged as a powerful analysis tool to support the decision-making process involved in crime prevention. This paper tries to identify the informational needs for crime prevention through law enforcement and planning and the use of GIS to support efficient decision-making.