The Broken Window Theory
The Broken Window Theory is a theory that states that visible signs of disorderly behavior create an urban environment that encourages further disorders and misbehavior, and often lead to serious deterioration of safety and security in localities. This theory comes from studies in crime and was developed to explain the decay of neighborhoods but have been applied to model certain behaviors in work and educational environments as well. Defined in 1982 by Wilson and Kelling, this theory argues that no matter how rich or poor a neighborhood, one broken window would soon lead to many more windows being broken: “One unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing.” They said. And similarly, an initiative to repair abandoned properties and transform vacant lots into community parks do see positive impact in reducing the rate of crime and disorderly behavior. There are ample articles (Google Search returns 110 Million plus results!) avai...
