Green Spaces Influence Behavior

A July 2001 study by Frances Kuo and William Sullivan, directors of the Human Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, suggests there is evidence that green spaces reduce crime. The study demonstrated that exposure to nature may reduce aggression and violence in inner-city neighborhoods. Compared to residents living near barren areas, those nearer to green spaces were typically friendlier and more social, creating stronger community ties and offering more opportunities for a healthier neighborhood. The study documented the following:

Additional Resources:

Research
– “Green Streets, Not Mean Streets, Vegetation May Cut Crime in the Inner City,” condensed from “Environment and Crime in the Inner City: Does Vegetation Reduce Crime?” Environment and Behavior, Volume 33, Number 3 (May 2001), pp 343-367. F.E. Kuo and W.C. Sullivan. Copyright 2001 Sage Publications, Inc.

– “Girls & Greenery, Views of Green Help Girls Succeed,” condensed from “Views of Nature and Self-Discipline: Evidence from Inner City Children,” Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 22, (2002), pp 49-63. A. Faber Taylor, F.E. Kuo and W.C. Sullivan. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.

– “Go Out and Play! Nature Adds Up for Kids with ADD,” condensed from “Coping with ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings,” Environment and Behavior, Volume 33, Number 1 (January 2001), pp 54-77. A. Faber, F.E. Kuo and W.C. Sullivan. Copyright 2001
Sage Publications, Inc.

– “Nice to See You, How Trees Build a Neighborhood,” condensed from “Fertile Ground for Community: Inner-City Neighborhood Common Spaces, American Journal of Community Psychology, 26 (6), 823-851. F.E. Kuo, W.C. Sullivan, R.L. Coley and L. Brunson. (1998) Copyright 1998 Plenum Publishing Corporation.

– “Green Relief, Trees Ease Poverty’s Burden in Inner City Neighborhoods,” condensed from “Coping with Poverty: Impacts of Environment and Attention in the Inner City, “Environment and Behavior, Volume 33, Number 1 (January 2001), pp 5-34. F.E. Kuo. Copyright 2001 Sage Publications, Inc.

– “Cooler in the Shade, Aggression and Violence are Reduced with Nature Nearby,” condensed from “Aggression and Violence in the Inner City, Effects of Environment via Mental Fatigue,” Environment & Behavior, 33(4), 543-571. F.E. Kuo, W.C. Sullivan. (2001)