Neighborhood Greenery as a Predictor of Outdoor Crimes between Low and High Income Neighborhoods

Neighborhood greenery contributes to improving mental, emotional, and physical health and may help to promote neighborhood safety. Several studies have reported positive effects of neighborhood greenery on the improvement of outdoor safety, but little is known about whether the relationship between green vegetation and outdoor safety varies with the income status of neighborhoods. The purpose of this study is to examine neighborhood greenery as a predictor of outdoor crime rates between low and high-income neighborhoods while controlling for the sociodemographic conditions of the neighborhoods. This study used 2010 census block group data and objectively measured natural environment data derived from GIS in Austin, Texas. Comparison t-tests and ordinal least square regressions were conducted as statistical analyses. The t-tests showed that low-income neighborhoods were more socioeconomically disadvantaged and had less greenery than high-income neighborhoods. The final regression models showed that neighborhood greenery had a negative relationship with outdoor crimes for low-income neighborhoods but a positive relationship with crimes for high-income neighborhoods. The results suggest that different strategies may be needed in dealing with neighborhood safety according to neighborhood-level income.