Abstract

The concept of online-based peer-to-peer (P2P) short-term rental (STR) lodging, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, is still a relatively recent phenomenon that has experienced rapid growth in the past decade. Due to the rapid growth of STRs, many areas of this phenomenon have been left relatively unexplored, such as the relationship between STRs and neighborhood crime. The association between neighborhood crime and STRs is attributed to the negative spotlight in the news, causing STRs to develop a negative connotation due to their perceived impacts on neighborhoods. Due to that connotation, it is believed that STRs contribute to neighborhood crime because they cause a revolving door of temporary residents, which alters the social dynamics of neighborhoods. This, in turn, affects the formation of relationships among neighbors and leaves properties without proper guardians. Additionally, due to the rapid growth of STRs in the past decade, many cities have been left without the proper regulations and ordinances in place to regulate STRs. This has caused cities to play catch-up with the implementation of regulations and ordinances. Initial studies analyzing these phenomena have primarily taken place in large and touristic cities in both the United States and abroad. Therefore, to fill the gaps left by the initial studies, this study examines the relationship between neighborhood crime and STRs, as well as the city ordinance that regulates STRs in the medium-sized city of Rochester, Minnesota, home and birthplace of world-famous Mayo Clinic. To address these issues, multiple complimentary spatial statistical analysis techniques were applied including, Average Nearest Neighbor Analysis, Hot Spot Analysis (Getis Ord Gi*), Kernel Density, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), Spatial Interpolation Analysis, Colocation Analysis, and Time Trend Analysis in ArcGIS Pro 3.0 and Microsoft Excel. Results indicate that the overall relationship between STRs and neighborhood crime in the city of Rochester, Minnesota, is relatively weak, but upon closer examination, the relationship strengthens in the areas of the downtown and Destination Medical Center Economic Zone (DMC), which is something that should be monitored as more investment in the area occurs over time. Time trend analysis identified that the city ordinance enacted in 2021 has a limited impact on minimizing the spread of STRs throughout the city.

Advisor

Fei Yuan

Committee Member

Beth Heidelberg

Committee Member

Joseph Koncur

Date of Degree

2024

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Program of Study

Geography

Department

Geography and Anthropology

College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

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Geography Commons

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Rights Statement

In Copyright