The effects of land use in urban crime commitment in the unofficial settlement of Islam Abad, Zanjan

To normatively, rationally and systematically locate urban land use plays an important role in reducing urban turmoils, especially all types of crimes. Based on this, the present paper seeks to analyze the effects of land use patterns in forming spatial patterns of crime by utilizing the descriptive-analytical pattern. The softwares used in this research include: Office Excel for data formation, GIS (Geographic Information System) for the comparative and graphic analysis, Crime Analysis, and Case in the environment of Arc GIS. The statistical society of this research is the number of crimes committed in the unofficial settlement of Islam Abad over the course of one year. The results of this study show that the highest rate of the crimes in Islam Abad were those committed in the vicinity of the residential uses. 199 cases (roughly 62 percent) of the whole crimes of Islam Abad were committed in the vicinity of the residential areas. While, the number of crimes committed in the vicinity of residential areas in the city of Zanjan is 1838 cases (roughly 48.75 percent of the whole crimes). On the other hand, 65 cases of the crimes committed in Islam Abad (roughly 20.25%) in mixed residential uses. In case of Zanjan, such cases are as many as 462, (roughly 12.25%), thus 82.25% of the crimes committed in Islam Abad were recorded in Islam Abad and mixed residential areas. Comparing this number with crimes committed in Zanjan where 61% of which were recorded in residential and mixed residential areas, Islam Abad is 21.25% ahead of Zanjan. Residential use is of great significance in Islam Abad in terms of crime commitment. On the other hand, no other uses required by the residents or related to residential use has ever formed around this area; most of the service uses required by this population either do not exist or are so scarce. Among these uses are sanitary, urban installations, cultural and military uses. This area seems to be in real shortage of leisure time uses. Such uses have great influence in filling the leisure time of the population who lives in that area, and it can make a great contribution to decreasing and preventing crimes. On the other hand, another influenced factor in the high rate of crimes in the studied area is the absence of military use. Lack of military station in the area has resulted in the faint presence of the officers in that specific area of the city, thus rendering the military control of the area impossible. Consequently, as the military control decreases, criminals have more opportunities to commit their crimes.