Evaluating Greenspaces and Crime Rates

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Previous research in the field of environmental criminology examines ecological characteristics (e.g., neighborhood disorganization; crime rates) that may influence police response times regarding calls for service. Recently, research has started to focus on the relationship between greenspace (e.g., parks, neighborhood quality) and both geo-spatial patterns and rates of crime (Breetzke et al., 2020; Bogar & Beyer, 2016). This study expands this literature by bridging these lines of inquiry. We combine data from the U.S. Census Bureau along with land use, budgetary and police incident/response data from the St Louis metropolitan area from 2010-2020. We analyze the triangular relationship between incident characteristics (e.g., classification, location, time/season, police response), the local environment (e.g., presence/type of green/third space, brownspace), and neighborhood socio-economics (e.g., race/ethnic demography, income, neighborhood gentrification/disinvestment). The study is mixed-methods (geo-spatial and quantitative), non-experimental, comparative. Possible statistical techniques include structural equation modeling, principal component analysis, and mulit-nomial logistic regression. Findings build upon the existing literature by further exploring the relationship between green spaces and crime.

Authors

• Amy Clifton-Mills, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Michael O'Grady, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Hayley Cleary, Virginia Commonwealth University