Literature Review on Crime and Green Space
International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning •
Urban greenspace linked to lower crime risk across 301 major U.S. cities o This study demonstrated that, on average across 301 U.S. cities, increased UGS at the neighborhood level is associated with decreased violent and property crime risk across almost every urban context. Unlike many previous studies focusing on single cities, the multi-level, multi-city analysis adds to other work on this topic and accounted for heterogeneity in social and criminological context across urban areas that might influence the relationship between greenspace and crime. o Research extends analysis of the crime and urban greenspace relationship across 301 cities in the contiguous USA. o Applies uniform approach accounting for varying contexts to a broad sample of cities o Greater amounts of greenspace are associated with lower property crime risk. o Greater greenspace is associated with lower violent crime risk in all but 3 cities.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health •
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The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environment: An Evident Synthesis [December 2019] o Literature Review – reviewed 45 papers ▪ Recommendation more research and meta-analysis ▪ The presence of parks and other green spaces reduces urban crime. ▪ Good public spaces support desirable behaviors and inappropriate public spaces provide the opportunity for increases in criminal behavior, which can be economically costly to society [1,2]. Additionally, safe, accessible green spaces enhance physiological and psychological human health and well-being[3].
Branas, C.C.; Kondo, M.C.; Murphy, S.M.; South, E.C.; Polsky, D.; MacDonald, J.M. Urban Blight Remediation as a Cost-Beneficial Solution to Firearm Violence. Am. J. Public Health 2016, 106, 2158–2164. [CrossRef] 2 Heaton, P. Hidden in Plain Sight: What Cost-of-Crime Research Can Tell Us about Investing in Police; RAND: Santa Monica, CA, USA, 2010. 3 Bratman, G.N.; Anderson, C.B.; Berman, M.G.; Cochran, B.; de Vries, S.; Flanders, J.; Folke, C.; Frumkin, H.; Gross, J.J.; Hartig, T.; et al. Nature and Mental Health: An Ecosystem Service Perspective. Sci. Adv. 2019, 5, eaax0903. [CrossRef]; Frumkin, H.; Bratman, G.N.; Breslow, S.J.; Cochran, B.; Kahn, P.H., Jr.; Lawler, J.J.; Levin, P.S.; Tandon, P.S.; Varanasi, U.; Wolf, K.L.; et al. Nature Contact and Human Health: A Research Agenda. Environ. Health
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Urban Green Space and Its Impact on Human Health [March 2018] o Literature Review – published literature review ▪ Recommendation more studies using rigorous study design are needed to make generalizations, and meta-analyses. ▪ This review of experimental, quasi-experimental, and longitudinal studies found evidence of a positive association between urban green space and attention, mood, and physical activity, and negative association with mortality, short-term cardiovascular markers (heart rate), and violence. ▪ “reduction in all crimes around intervention lots, specifically in property crimes around contractor greened lots and in violent crimes around community reuse lots” and “residents living near intervention lots felt safer compared to residents living near lots yhat that were left vacant” 4
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Urban as a Determinant of Health [Journal of Urban Health – 2007] o Foreseeable trend for rising inequities across a wide range of social and health dimensions o Recommendations ▪ suggests that improving living conditions in such arenas as housing, employment, education, equality, quality of living environment, social support, and health services is central to improving the health of urban populations. While social determinant and multilevel perspectives are not uniquely urban, they are transformed when viewed through the characteristics of cities such as size, density, diversity, and complexity. Ameliorating the immediate living conditions in the cities in which people live offers the greatest promise for reducing morbidity, mortality, and disparities in health and for improving quality of life and well being. How green space can reduce violent crime [February 2020 – UVA] o Identified patterns that can inform public policy, guide urban design and promote neighborhoods that are safe and low in crime. (research seeking) o Recommendations ▪ nine studies looked at the effect of green space on gun violence. Six found that such interventions reduced crime, while three were inconclusive. "There is evidence that greening interventions at
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Perspect. 2017, 125, 075001. [CrossRef]; Wolf, K.L.; Measells, M.K.; Grado, S.C.; Robbins, A.S.T. Economic Values of Metro Nature Health Benefits: A Life Course Approach. Urban For. Urban Green. 2015, 14, 694–701. [CrossRef] 4 Beil, K.; Hanes, D. The Influence of Urban Natural and Built Environments on Physiological and Psychological Measures of Stress—A Pilot Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2013, 10, 1250–1267.[CrossRef] [PubMed]
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the urban level reduces violent crime, specifically gun violence," said Sadatsafavi, of UVA's Department of Emergency Medicine. Citywide cluster randomized trail to restore blighted vacant land and its effects on violence, crime and fear [January 2018 – Clark University, Worchester, MA] o Standardized processes for the restoration of vacant urban land were experimentally tested on a citywide scale and found to significantly reduce gun violence, crime, and fear. o Recommendations ▪ ” structural dilapidation and blight can be key causes of negative outcomes in terms of people’s safety, both their perceptions of safety and their actual, physical safety. When left untreated, vacant and blighted urban spaces contribute to increased violence and fear. The physical components of neglected and impoverished urban environments can be changed in inexpensive and sustainable ways as a direct treatment strategy for violence and fear in cities. Restoration of vacant spaces using welldelineated interventions, such as those shown here, is a scalable and politically acceptable strategy that can significantly and sustainably reduce persistent urban problems like gun violence.”
The Good Cities Good Health site has several fact sheets that I have attached for quick references that have source references.