Kroc Insight Spotlights Global Violence, Urban Innovation: Launching the Peace in Our Cities Campaign

Read the new Kroc Insight now: Global Violence, Urban Innovation: Launching the Peace in Our Cities Campaign

San Diego is one of the safest large cities in America. Its violent crime rate is below both California’s and the national average. But even safe cities have variations in levels of violence. In 2017-2018, San Diego saw a three percent increase in violent crime. According to recent analysis by The San Diego Union-Tribune, this uptick is concentrated in particular neighborhoods and, even further, particular locations within those neighborhoods. This pattern is not unusual—it can be found in many cities around the world. In fact, many patterns of violence present themselves in similar ways across very different cities.

Globally, violence is on the rise with trend analysis suggesting that urban violence will continue to push rates up if we do not take action to shift the status quo. Urgent situations merit urgent, yet strategic responses. To respond to current violence trends, Impact:Peace at the Kroc IPJ has launched the Peace in Our Cities campaign together with +Peace and the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies. The campaign - which includes cities from around the world, from Guadalajara, Mexico to Nairobi, Kenya - will amplify the urgency of effectively responding to urban violence while promoting effective and evidence-based practice that is informed by patterns of violence transmission and prevention.
 
In our most recent Kroc Insight, Global Violence, Urban Innovation: Launching the Peace in Our Cities Campaign, we present important knowledge on how Impact:Peace and the Peace in Our Cities campaign can help drive change by putting evidence behind city efforts to support integrated approaches to violence reduction.  

About Kroc Insight: The Kroc Insight is a powerful new publication series from the Kroc School’s Institute for Peace and Justice that focuses on a key idea or a key lesson learned that we believe is important to ending cycles of violence and building more peaceful societies. In case you missed the first three, you can read them here. While you’re at it, don’t forget to subscribe to receive future Kroc Insights as they are released.