I live in a working class NYC neighborhood. Not dangerous, but not completely perfect (and some parts are best avoided). There are kids out alone everywhere!

Go up a few blocks to Park Slope, an extremely safe and cleaned up place, and there's no kids in sight.

Really? I was just in Park Slope 20 minutes ago and saw a few kids ambling about. Yeah, not as many as you see in Crown Heights, but some. I suspect Park Slope kids are a bit more likely to be overscheduled (like suburban kids) than their peers in surrounding neighborhoods.

I admit I don't spend much time there, so just going off what I've seen! I'd be happy to be wrong. I just know here in Sunset Park kids roam free.

That doesn't surprise me. I'm actually headed down there this weekend to eat all the things, super excited.

IME, suburbs are home to the most paranoid. There's a reason they live there and not in an urban area.

While paranoia may be a reason to live in the suburbs, it could also be because they want their own backyard or are priced out of major metros.

Or maybe just because they've always lived there - more and more folks are living near (or with) family these days.

I didn't say it was the majority in the suburbs. To clarify, I've lived in both urban and suburban areas. People in suburban areas seem to have a higher incidence of fear (like discussed in the article) than urban areas.

Which isn't the only reason to live in the suburbs, but it's a major reason for a rather significant number of people. I mean, a suburban town not far from me got started to get away from the blacks (the way the honest locals phrased it, not proudly), and that was just 50 years ago. Fear drives a lot of suburban movement.