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Myth and Fact 21 MYTH FOUR FACTFOUR Arizona researchers found that when police data are analyzed per unit, apartments actually create less demand for police services than a comparable number of single- family houses. In Tempe, Arizona, a random sample of 1,000 calls for service showed that 35 percent originated from single-family houses and just 21 percent came from apartments. Similarly, a random sample of 600 calls for service in Phoenix, Arizona, found that an apartment unit’s demand for police services was less than half of the demand created by a single-family house.33 One reason for the misperception that crime and density are related could be that crime reports tend to characterize multifamily properties as a single “house” and may record every visit to an apartment community as happening at a single house. But a multifamily property with 250 units is more accurately defined as 250 houses. To truly compare crime rates between multifamily properties and single-family houses, the officer would have to count each household in the multifamily commu- nity as the equivalent of a separate single-family household. When they do so, many find what the previous studies prove: that crime rates between different housing types are comparable. Higher-density developments can actually help reduce crime by increasing pedestrian activity and fostering a 24-hour community that puts more “eyes on the street”34 at all times. Many residents say they chose higher-density housing specifically because they felt more secure there; they feel safer because there are more people coming and going, making it more difficult for criminals to act without being discovered. This factor could explain why a ULI study of different housing types in Greenwich, Connecticut, shows that higher-density housing is significantly less likely to be bur- glarized than single-family houses.35 The relationships among design, management, and security became better understood in the past few decades with the publication of several seminal works, including Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design by Oscar Newman36 and Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in our Communities by George Kelling and Catherine Coles.37 Many new higher- density developments include better lighting plans and careful placement of buildings and landscaping to reduce opportunities for crime, contributing to a safer community. With the emergence of better-quality designs, higher-density mixed-use develop- ment is an attractive and safe addition to a community, one that is increasingly attracting a professional constituency seeking safety features. In fact, the luxur y segment is one of the fastest-growing components of the multifamily industry.38