Proposal

In a recent study entitled “Property values, parks, and crime: A hedonic analysis in Baltimore, MD,” (2008) Austin Troy and J. Morgan Grove found the correlation that existed between property values, parks and crime in the city of Baltimore, Maryland.  I will be simplifying this proposal and studying the tree cover of the city of Los Angeles as it relates to gangland area. We can assume that more crime occurs in areas with established gangs, and by mapping the tree cover of these specific areas we will be able to tell if there is any correlation between tree cover and crime rates, just as the three authors of the Baltimore study did. I will be attempting to roughly recreate this analysis of social relationships with the data available to me. The goal of this analysis will be to examine if a correlation exists between the parks of Los Angeles, Tree cover for the area, and Gang Territory present in the area.

The authors of the Baltimore study cite numerous resources that both defend and target parks as positive and negative factors in their environment respectively. Interestingly, Troy and Grove state that “While intuition would suggest that high-crime parks might not be viewed as positive amenities this has yet to be empirically proven” (p.233, 2008). It is strange to think that a park that is filled with crime would still positively affect the environment in any way. In a later study done on a similar subject Troy, Grove, and O’Neil-Dunne (2012) focused on how tree canopy affects the crime rate across the Baltimore region. I will additionally attempt to visually demonstrate how green cover directly relates to average income for specific regions, in order to further support this study. 

Multiple sources argue that forest and vegetation positively affect an area. A study of suburban homes values and trees found that more tree’s covering a lot directly positively influenced home value (Mansfield et al., 2005). A Finnish study also found that large forested areas within close proximity to housing areas boosted property values, but small forest parks actually decreased property values (Tyrvainen, 1997). Well maintained parks can also be seen as a “territorial marker” as described by Brown and Bentley, (1993) and these parks can further discourage criminal activity by showing to criminals that those who inhabit the region take an active role in caring about their environment.

On the other side of the argument, some sources would argue that parks and vegetation only condone illicit activity and provide refuge for those wishing to partake in criminal acts. Michael et al. (2001) describe how criminals regularly use dense vegetation for targeting, examining, and disposing of stolen property. This dense vegetation provides a refuge in a way for those who wish to commit illegal acts, and was even found to be a common characteristic of rape sites (Stoks, 1983). Obviously there is much dispute over whether parks help or hinder a community.

This study will focus more specifically on the green cover of the city and how it relates to the multiple Gang areas within the Los Angeles City Boundary. I hypothesize that there will be an inverse relationship between tree cover and gangland area. Additionally I hypothesize that gang areas will occur more naturally in areas with lower average incomes and thus have fewer parks. I  believe that by finding the relation between tree cover and gang area in Los Angeles we will be able to draw some conclusions about the rate of crime in vegetated areas. Additionally we can focus on the relationship between areas that criminals prefer to occupy, and the tree cover present in these areas.