CLIMATE-RESPONSIVE URBAN SAFETY: PREDICTIVE MODELLING OF TEMPERATURE-DRIVEN PROPERTY CRIMES FOR QUALITY OF LIFE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i39.1920Keywords:
Property crime, temperature, quality of life, machine learningAbstract
Understanding the relationship between temperature, crime, and quality of life is crucial for addressing urban challenges and fostering sustainable development. While community safety is a key focus of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the link between temperature, property crime, and quality of life remains underexplored. Most studies emphasize violent crimes, neglecting property crimes and their nuanced interactions with environmental factors. Additionally, the indirect effects of temperature and crime on quality of life lack sufficient investigation. This study addresses these gaps by analysing the relationship between temperature, property crime, and quality of life using machine learning techniques, including, Generalized Linear Model, Support Vector Machine, Gradient Boosted Tree, Decision Tree and Random Forest algorithms. Data were collected from 317 face-to-face surveys in Taman Dato’ Senu, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, alongside official crime statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police. Results indicate that property crime significantly influences quality of life, whereas temperature shows minimal direct impact. These findings highlight the complex dynamics between climate and social behaviour and demonstrate the potential of machine learning for precise, data-driven insights to support urban planning and policy decisions in tropical cities.
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