Neighbourhood places like shops, cafes and parks support a variety of social interactions ranging from the ephemeral to the intimate. Repeated interactions at neighbourhood places over time lay the foundation for the development of social cohesion and collective efficacy. In this study, we examine the proposition that changes in the presence or arrangement of neighbourhood places can destabilise social cohesion and collective efficacy, which has implications for crime. Using spatially integrated crime, social survey and parcel-level land-use classification data, we estimate mixed effects panel models predicting changes in theft and nuisance crimes across 147 Australian neighbourhoods. The findings are consistent with neighbourhood social control and crime opportunity theories. Neighbourhood development – indicated by fewer vacant properties and fewer industrial and agricultural sites – is associated with higher collective efficacy and less crime over time. Conversely, introducing more restaurants, transit stations and cinemas is associated with higher theft and nuisance over time regardless of neighbourhood collective efficacy. We argue that the addition of socially conducive places can leave neighbourhoods vulnerable to crime until new patterns of sociability emerge and collective efficacy develops.

商店，咖啡馆和公园等邻里场所支持从短暂到亲密的各种社交互动。随着时间的流逝，社区附近的反复互动为社会凝聚力和集体效能的发展奠定了基础。在这项研究中，我们研究了以下论点：邻里存在或布局的变化会破坏社会凝聚力和集体效能的稳定性，这对犯罪有影响。利用空间综合犯罪，社会调查和地块级土地利用分类数据，我们估计了混合效应面板模型，该模型预测了澳大利亚147个居民区盗窃和扰民罪的变化。这些发现与邻里社会控制和犯罪机会理论是一致的。社区发展（以更少的闲置财产和更少的工业和农业场所为标志）与更高的集体效能和随着时间的推移减少犯罪联系在一起。相反，随着时间的推移，引入更多的餐馆，公交车站和电影院会导致盗窃和滋扰，而不论社区的集体效能如何。我们认为有利于社会发展的地方会使邻里容易受到犯罪的伤害，直到出现新的社交方式并发展集体效能为止。