| Title |
Spatial Clustering Characteristics of Crime hotspots under Different Urban Spatial Structures |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.10.135 |
| Keywords |
"Urban Spatial Structure; Spatial Clustering Patterns; Kernel Density Estimation(KDE); Global Moran’s I; Local Indicators of Spatial Association(LISA) |
| Abstract |
This study analyzes the spatial clustering characteristics of crime hotspots under different urban spatial structures in Changwon, Masan, and
Jinhae, the three urban districts integrated into Changwon City. Crime incident data were converted into spatial point data, and Kernel
Density Estimation (KDE) was applied to generate a crime density surface. A 500 m × 500 m grid-based crime density dataset was then
constructed to examine spatial clustering using Global Moran's I and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA). The results indicate that
crime hotspots exhibited significant positive spatial autocorrelation in all three study areas. However, the intensity and spatial distribution of
hotspot clusters differed according to the characteristics of urban spatial structure. Changwon demonstrated a linear-linked hotspot pattern
associated with its planned urban structure, Masan exhibited a concentrated hotspot pattern centered on the old downtown commercial area,
and Jinhae showed a localized and dispersed hotspot pattern reflecting its neighborhood-based urban structure. These findings suggest that the
spatial clustering of crime hotspots may be associated with differences in urban spatial structure rather than simply the frequency of crime
occurrence. The study further confirms that even within a single administratively integrated city, different urban spatial structures were
associated with distinct spatial clustering characteristics of crime hotspots. This study contributes by presenting a comparative framework for
analyzing crime hotspot clustering across different urban spatial structures. The findings provide useful implications for establishing
place-based crime prevention policies and urban management strategies that reflect the spatial characteristics of individual urban areas. |