NCJ Number
188772
Journal
Environment and Behavior Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 343-367
Editor(s)
Robert B. Bechtel
Date Published
May 2001
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study presented both theory and evidence to suggest that vegetation, trees and grass may work as a positive deterrence of crime in poor inner-city neighborhoods.
Abstract
There has been a long tradition of addressing crime in problem areas by removing vegetation. There has been a belief that vegetation, such as trees and grass, facilitates crime because it hides perpetrators and criminal activity from view. This study reviewed evidence in support of this “idea” and suggested conditions under which it might not apply. This study used police crime reports to examine the relationship between vegetation and crime in an inner-city neighborhood. Crime rates for 98 apartment buildings with varying levels of nearby vegetation were compared. The results indicated that although residents were randomly assigned to different levels of nearby vegetation, the greener the building’s surroundings were, the fewer crimes reported. Residents living in “greener” surroundings reported lower levels of fear, fewer incivilities, and less aggressive and violent behavior. The findings offered an understanding of the relationship between vegetation and crime suggesting intervention opportunities and future research. This study identified an environmental feature that is easy to manipulate, and has a systematic, negative relationship with property crimes, violent crime, and total crimes. The study suggested that in barren inner-city neighborhoods, planting a few trees could help to inhibit crime, creating safer neighborhoods. References