Community-driven disorder reduction: Crime prevention through a clean and green initiative in a legacy city

This study examines the effects of a neighbourhood greening and beautification strategy called Clean & Green on crime prevention and reduction. Point level data for all Part I index crimes and Clean & Green efforts in the study area from 2005 to 2014 are analysed using spatial and linear regression with two key modifications: (1) controlling for temporal and spatial dependencies between points; and (2) allowing for potentially non-linear temporal trends in the effect of cumulative greening. To accommodate those modifications, generalised additive models (GAMs) were employed. The analyses of violent and property crimes suggest that greening efforts are increasingly protective over time. The findings demonstrate that the elimination of blight and disorder via neighbourhood greening and beautification efforts can be an effective tool for crime prevention and control in communities.

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