Trees

how they stabilize neighborhoods &

promote public safety
Both social and environmental factors affect crime rates &
neighborhood stabilization in specific areas. The presence of trees
can positively impact those areas.

Environmental Factors
of Public Safety
& Neighborhood
Stabilization
Maintaining and planting trees is a green investment for urban
environments. Trees have the ability to reduce crime and
stabilize a neighborhood in the following ways:

Blight Reduction
Unmaintained vacant areas can normally be described as blighted.
Areas with maintained vegetation and trees are not perceived as
blighted, but rather as natural or park like.

Increase Property Values

When tress are present property values can increase anywhere
between 5%-20%. Homeowners want to see trees not just in their yard
but their neighbors yards also.

Mental Fatigue
Trees can ease the mind. People are less likely to be unhappy and angry
when in the presence of nature, in this case trees. When people are
happy they endure less mental fatigue and are less likely to act out and
commit crimes.

Ecology
The ecological benefits of trees are vast. Major benefits include;
mitigation of storm water runoff, removal of carbon dioxide from the
air, and creation of wildlife habitat.

The Effect of Trees on Crime In Portland Oregon- Geoffrey H. Donovan & Jeffrey P. Prestemon
Environment and Crime in the Inner City- Frances E. Kuo & William C. Sullivan
Everybody Loves Trees: Policing American Cities Through Street Trees- Irus Braverman
The Role of Arboriculture In A Healthy Social Ecology- Frances E. Kuo

Social Factors
of Public Safety
& Neighborhood
Stabilization
The social aspects of a community can determine whether or not
a neighborhood is stable and safe. Trees have the ability to to
strengthen social bonds in the following ways:

Shared Outdoor Spaces

Vegetative cover aka trees have been linked to the number of people
outside their homes. Trees facilitate and encourage the use of
neighborhood outdoor spaces in urban environments. These hangouts
are spaces of diversity where people intermingle, creating bonds that
deter criminal activity and promote public safety .

Strong Social Ties

The communal spaces trees create foster breeding grounds of
communication between neighbors. Communication leads to respect and
respect can lead to care. A community that cares for one another is
considered a stable area. Frances Kuo found 73% of people involved in
social activities carried out those activities in vegetated/green areas.

Community Policing
Geoffrey Donovan and Jeffrey Prestemon found that "trees in the public
right of way are associated with lower crime rates". Treed areas are
inviting and encourage residential use. The utilization of these areas
generates more "eyes on the street", discouraging criminal activity

Ownership
Trees lend the right of ownership to neighborhood residents. People
feel responsible for the things around them, especially when they are
large beneficial living objects. When a sense of ownership is present in
an area criminals are less likely to target that territory.

The Effect of Trees on Crime In Portland Oregon- Geoffrey H. Donovan & Jeffrey P. Prestemon
Environment and Crime in the Inner City- Frances E. Kuo & William C. Sullivan
Everybody Loves Trees: Policing American Cities Through Street Trees- Irus Braverman
The Role of Arboriculture In A Healthy Social Ecology- Frances E. Kuo

Map of Homicides
in Flint
The map shows the majority of homicides occurring in the North
West portion of Flint. Other crime hot spot maps (arson, assault,
burglary & breaking and entering, crime with weapons, sex offense,
motor vehicle theft, robbery, larceny, destruction or vandalism)
obtained from Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center also
showed the North West as an area of distress. Moving forward
Genesee Conservation District would like to focus its tree planting
projects in this area. Hopefully the planting efforts will mitigate the
criminal offenses and stabilize the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Urban Canopy

We Protect
FLINT
STREET TREE

29,563
POPULATION

The District has joined in the efforts of

protecting Flint's urban canopy. Through
partnerships with the City of Flint and different
grants, plans for plantings and maintenance
have been carried out. It is imperative for the
District to continue with its efforts in order to
ensure public safety and stabilization of the
neighborhoods throughout the city.

TOTAL VALUE
OF THE

FLINT HAS

ANNUAL VALUE
STREET TREE

$34,124,559

31.5%

$5,792,286

STREET TREE
POPULATION

URBAN CANOPY
COVER

ENVIRONMENAL
BENIFITS

Check out Flint's GIS department to look at an interactive map of all of the
street trees in Flint. Map 1 gives an overview of each tree and its condition. Map
2 shows trees of the utmost concern.

Map 1- Street Tree Conditions

http://flint.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?
webmap=b96ea2daae2040f4ae9c762567f97475

Map 2- Concern Trees

http://flint.maps.arcgis.com/apps/SummaryViewer/index.html?
appid=b4f8bc98ccc24e4db5f729be7e76b159