Abstract
The geography of crime in Ecuador has not been geographically studied. In Quito, few criminal studies have been developed from a geographic approach. This research focuses on studying trends and patterns of crime in Quito`s District 05 by employing spatial analytical tools using GIS (Geographic Information System), statistics and cartographic techniques. This study aims to contribute to the literacy in crime-related topic in the country. Quito´s District 05 houses a representative percentage of the city´s financial services, retail activities, and other tertiary services. This district is among the most important economic business district in the city which attract many people to the area daily. The present study analyzes spatial patterns of crime against Ecuador´s Penal Code. Criminal data comes from David´s System used by the Ecuadorian National Police Department. To describe general patterns of crime, the crime distribution and the identification of weighted central feature is presented as the first step. Hotspot analysis is used to identify areas with high-crime concentration. Then, Moran I coefficient is used to identify crime´s spatial patterns by year. Finally, the urban landscape of least safe areas in the district analyzed, resulting from the previous analysis, are described. Criminal activity in Quito´s District 05 has a cluster pattern for all the years in the period analyzed. La Carolina Park, Bicentenario Park, and La Mariscal Sucre sector are among the most dangerous areas of Quito due to the high-crime frequency. Crime reported in David´s system had dropped from 2016 to 2020; however, crime spatial distribution has grown during this period. The hotspot area increased 215 hectares (ha) from 2016 to 2020. It is possible to find deteriorate and neglect zones all over the area analyzed, especially in the least safe areas detailed in this study where graffiti and vandalism evidence could be observed.
Advisor
Sudarshana Bordoloi
Committee Member
Jose Lopez
Committee Member
Cynthia Miller
Date of Degree
2021
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Program of Study
Geography
College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Ochoa Veloz, P. B. (2021). Spatial patterns of crime in District 05, Quito-Ecuador, 2016-2020 [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1174
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Geographic Information Sciences Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Spatial Science Commons
Rights Statement
