Do Greenways Reduce Crime?

Crime and Trails

Crime is a common concern among people living in areas where new greenway trails are planned. As we live in a dangerous society with high crime rates compared to other developed nations, fear of crime is legitimate and rooted in people’s lived experience. In the case of greenway trails in Atlanta, the fear is that new trails provide new access for criminals. But before we assume the worst, what does the data actually say.
  

Linked below is a recent scholarly, peer-reviewed article regarding crime along the Atlanta Beltline in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology. The analysis shows that the Beltline is associated with a 5.8% reduction in overall index crime, including a 34.9% decrease in robberies and a 11.3% decrease in burglaries.

This analysis corroborates perspectives shared with the PATH Foundation during various trail planning efforts in and around Atlanta that trails improve the “eyes on the street” aspect of crime prevention and may actually help reduce crime. (See CPTED – Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design). PATH interviewed the following departments: Atlanta Police, DeKalb County Police, Chamblee Parks Police, and Dunwoody Police.