RESEARCH
Visualizing Crime Patterns in São Paulo , Brazil
São Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil as well as South America , and the third largest in the world. With a population of 17 million, the built environment is dominated by miles of high-rise buildings and sprawls across a metro area of over 3,000 sq mi. Research on São Paulo has indicated that there is a relation between the built environment and the extent of criminal activity in specific regions of the city. This particular kind of urban environment and presence of many favelas, Brazilian shantytowns, make for an interesting exploration of how crime persists or changes. In December 2004, I visited São Paulo to collect census data, interview local people, and use digital video to capture contrasts in 3 distinct sections of the city.
The city's financial center is located within the Jardins neighborhood in the Centro, which contrasts with the historical heart of the city which has a high crime rate and degenerates from office workers to underworld activity in the evening. There are several specific locations within this area that attract high levels of crime. For example, areas near the main squares Sè and Republica are known locally as 'crack country' for their vibrant evening drug trade. Currently, I am analyzing data to compare these Centro areas and how crime in these areas relates to crime in other parts of the city.
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