In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers claimed that revitalizing vacant and blighted urban land through lawn care and greenscape management could lower perceptions of criminal activity and actual criminal activity in a neighborhood.

1. Revitalizing Vacant Lots
Reduces Criminal Activity
in Neighborhoods,
Research Finds
U.S. Lawns

2. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of
researchers claimed that revitalizing vacant and blighted urban land through lawn care
and greenscape management could lower perceptions of criminal activity and actual
criminal activity in a neighborhood.
Parameters of the Study
The research team wanted to test whether improving the greenery and hardscapes of
abandoned lots would affect perceptions of criminality and criminal activities around
communities. They stress the importance of this study by pointing out that 15 percent of
lots in cities in the United States are legally abandoned or vacant.

3. For the test, they randomly selected 541 vacant lots that they randomly designated as
either part of the control population or part of the revitalization plan. Those that they
assigned to undergo revitalization had teams scour them of trash and detritus, received
fresh lawn grass as well as small trees, and perimeter fences of wood.
Personnel also regularly maintained the chosen lots for two months. After this period, the
researchers collected reports of crimes and nuisances from 445 randomly-chosen
residents who lived near the lots and analyzed them for 38 months.

4. Results of Revitalization
The study reported that people who live near the revitalized lots had their perception of
crimes reduced by 36.8 percent and were 57.8 percent less concerned about their safety
outside their homes. The lots that received new turf and ornamental trees also reduced
the number of actual crimes in their vicinity. Analysis of police reports showed that they
reduced overall crime by 13.3 percent, burglary by 21.9 percent, and crimes involving gun
violence by 29.1 percent.
Restoring these vacant residential and commercial lots by planting new growth, decorative
shrubs, and regularly maintaining them can be a useful and eco-friendly way to alleviate
the burden of criminal activities in urban communities all over the United States.

5. Sources:
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/12/2946
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/02/city-fights-crime-gardening
https://uslawns.com/locations/nc/chapel-hill/