The Crime Spike Is No Mystery
By zooming out and looking at the big picture, the question of what causes violence becomes quite answerable.
![Black-and-white photo of Chicago's skyline in the distance, framed by other buildings in the foreground](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/5rncV4_G702_X9_f_jNYoZUzJIc=/1181x0:4219x3038/80x80/media/img/mt/2022/11/h_9.00050537/original.jpg)
By zooming out and looking at the big picture, the question of what causes violence becomes quite answerable.
Urban inequality didn’t happen by accident.
Less visible than the rise of income inequality in America is its impact in shaping the country’s urban neighborhoods. Two books—by Matthew Desmond and Mitchell Duneier—could help change that.