Can Planting More Trees Reduce Urban Crime Rates?
The following excerpt is from an article written by Beth Buczynski of Care2.com and published on May 30, 2012.
Environmental advocates often wax poetic about the power of trees to create a better world, but the effects of a thick tree cover are usually intangible at best. According to a new study published in the June issue of the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, however, there may be a direct correlation between the number of trees in your neighborhood, and how safe you feel there.
The research was a case study of the city of Baltimore, a metropolitan area so riddled with crime, it’s spawned its own cop drama, The Wire. Scientists used high-res satellite imagery to compare crime locations throughout the city with the number of trees in the area. Although we may have a perception that “bad guys” like to hide behind trees and bushes, waiting to jump out and attack us, the study showed just the opposite.
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