  We explore how the local environment is related to the redshift, type, and
luminosity of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Recent simulations and observations
are converging on the view that the extreme luminosity of quasars is fueled in
major mergers of gas-rich galaxies. In such a picture, quasars are expected to
be located in regions with a higher density of galaxies on small scales where
mergers are more likely to take place. However, in this picture, the activity
observed in low-luminosity AGN is due to secular processes that are less
dependent on the local galaxy density. To test this hypothesis, we compare the
local photometric galaxy density on kiloparsec scales around spectroscopic Type
I and Type II quasars to the local density around lower luminosity
spectroscopic Type I and Type II AGN. To minimize projection effects and
evolution in the photometric galaxy sample we use to characterize AGN
environments, we place our random control sample at the same redshift as our
AGN and impose a narrow redshift window around both the AGN and control
targets. We find that higher luminosity AGN have more overdense environments
compared to lower luminosity AGN on all scales out to our $2\Mpchseventy$
limit. Additionally, in the range $0.3\leqslant z\leqslant 0.6$, Type II
quasars have similarly overdense environments to those of bright Type I quasars
on all scales out to our $2\Mpchseventy$ limit, while the environment of dimmer
Type I quasars appears to be less overdense than the environment of Type II
quasars. We see increased overdensity for Type II AGN compared to Type I AGN on
scales out to our limit of $2\Mpchseventy$ in overlapping redshift ranges. We
also detect marginal evidence for evolution in the number of galaxies within
$2\Mpchseventy$ of a quasar with redshift.
