Want to reduce crime in your neighbourhood? Maybe try planting some trees.
Challenging the popular belief that vegetation gives cover to would-be criminals, a new study in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning suggests leafier neighbourhoods may actually deter crime.
Researchers with the University of Vermont and the U.S. Forest Service examined crime-mapping data and high-resolution tree canopy images for the Baltimore area and found that a 10 per cent increase in tree cover was associated with a 12 per cent decrease in crime.
The negative correlation between crime and tree coverage still held up even after researchers controlled for socio-economic factors, such as income, race, housing type and population density. “For those who question whether the economic costs of planting trees is worth it, here’s another reason why, in the
long-term, it’s a positive investment,” lead author Austin Troy, a professor of natural sciences at the University of Vermont, said in an interview.
One theory, cited in the study, suggests that trees have a deterrent effect on criminals because they encourage residents to spend more time outdoors, which means more “eyes on the street.” Another theory suggests that well-maintained vegetation sends a signal to criminals that residents care about their surroundings.
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“The presumption is that when looking for a place to commit crime, a perpetrator would move on to a neighbourhood where cues suggest a weaker social organization and less neighbourhood involvement,” the researchers write. This is consistent with the “broken-window theory,” they say, which suggests that neighbourhoods that appear to be neglected or poorly maintained experience higher crime because they suggest to criminals a lack of effective law enforcement. Research done by the University of Illinois has come to similar conclusions. One study found that residents living in greener surroundings reported “lower levels of fear, fewer incivilities and less aggressive and violent behaviour.”
The authors of that study suggested that vegetation has a calming effect and helps mitigate against mental fatigue and irritability, which are precursors to violence. Still, wide disagreement remains in the academic community. Some studies have suggested a positive correlation between urban greenery – particularly low, dense vegetation – and crime because it is seen as something that allows criminals to shield their activities.
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