Perceived Safety of LIHTC Residents in Ohio: Impacts of Building Design

Ecological theories of crime have found that perceptions of neighborhood safety are influenced by a broad range of building features. Yet most research on how building design impacts perceptions of neighborhood safety for low-income renters was developed in a period of affordable housing defined by dense, segregated, and brutalist-inspired public housing. Research on low-income rental design has yet to focus on how residents in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties perceive their levels of neighborhood safety, and how that may be influenced by building design. This study uses survey responses from 652 LIHTC residents in Ohio paired with design attributes and crime data to test how residents’ perceptions of neighborhood safety are related to building design features, controlling for neighborhood violent and property crimes. We find that design features minimally impact residents’ perceived neighborhood safety, and this does not vary significantly by resident characteristics. We suggest this contrast with past literature may relate to the design and maintenance standards associated with LIHTC properties. We recommend that housing finance agencies continue to encourage or incentivize affordable housing developers to design housing with features to increase natural surveillance, access control, and territoriality, and to focus on fostering community for LIHTC residents.