In Urban Neighborhoods, More Trees Equals Less Crime

Say you live down the street from a small urban park---does that make you feel more safe, or less? Green space has been thought to work both ways. Shrubs, for instance, could conceal burglars, or a tree-lined sidewalk could obstruct a clear view of the street. On the other hand, green space encourages people to spend more time in public areas, which deters crime---and greenness might even be good for the soul. A new study finds that, in Philadelphia at least, greener neighborhoods have significantly fewer crimes than non-vegetated areas. And this effect held true even after the researchers controlled for socioeconomic factors. The researchers began with crime data for 2005 across the city, broken down by neighborhood (each containing a few thousand people) and type of crime: assault, robbery, burglary or theft. (The authors chose not to include rape and murder because they are relatively rare.) They combined this ...