Can a tree help prevent crime? It just might.

 

种树可以预防犯罪吗？有可能哦。

 

Two new studies, led by US Forest Service researchers, took a closer look at urban green space in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Youngstown, Ohio. In each of these cities, adding green space to crime-ridden areas helped reduce crime rates, the researchers found.

 

In 2000, Philadelphia launched a program to plant vegetation along roadways to help soak up rainwater. Researchers looked at 52 of these vegetation plots and compared them with control plots that didn't receive the greenery upgrade. After tracking 14 types of crime in nearby areas, researchers found that narcotics¹ possession in those areas decreased by 18 to 27 percent, even as the rate for the rest of the city rose by 65 percent.

 

Michelle Kondo, a social scientist and lead researcher with the forest service, speculated the increased presence of city trucks and vans in the landscaped areas -- for planting and maintenance -- was enough to deter² illicit³ activity.

 

A similar effect was noted⁴ in Youngstown, Ohio -- a depressed⁵ Midwestern town known for its high rates of crime and unemployment. From 2010 to 2014, city officials embarked⁶ on a project to reclaim⁷ some of the city's empty lots and derelict buildings by converting them into green space. In 2011, they added another initiative that gave local communities funding to plant green space in vacant lots in whatever method they chose -- lawns, community gardens, playgrounds and more.

 

When Kondo and her team compared crime around these vegetation plots with undeveloped plots in nearby areas, they found the areas around new green spaces had lower crime rates than elsewhere in the city. Interestingly, the crime reduction was different depending upon the type of green space that was developed. For example, lots that were planted with grass and maintained by contractors⁸ saw a reduction in property crimes such as theft and burglary, whereas community-maintained plots saw a sharp reduction in violent crime. This suggests that different types of green space could be developed to deter certain types of crime.

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