The Effect of Territorial Stigma on Urban Crime: A Neighborhood Analysis in Seoul, Korea.

This article investigates the impact of territorial stigma—the accumulation of symbolic inequalities such as perceptions and prejudices associated with a neighborhood—on urban crime incidence in Seoul, South Korea. Using residents' crime risk awareness (subjective measure) and media reporting concentration (objective measure) as indices of territorial stigma, the study finds that higher crime risk awareness correlates positively with crime rates, while greater media reporting concentration correlates negatively, even after controlling for various structural inequalities including demographic, socioeconomic, and built environment factors. The findings suggest that symbolic inequalities, alongside structural factors, play a significant role in shaping urban crime patterns, highlighting the need to consider both subjective perceptions and objective media influences in crime prevention strategies. The study emphasizes the importance of multi-level analysis of territorial stigma and calls for further research on its formation processes across diverse urban contexts.