Green space is associated with lower violent assault rates: A longitudinal remote sensing study

Abstract

Although the availability of natural space is found to be associated with the reduction of neighborhood-level violent crimes, such relationship is often confounded by heightened public surveillance in such spaces. Using satellite remote sensing data and official crime record, we examined the extent to which natural space coverage and population-weighted exposure were associated with assault crime rates, including domestic violent assault, which minimalized the influence of surveillance. Analyses of data from New South Wales, Australia, between 2015 and 2019 showed that regions with more green space and higher population-weighted exposure to green space had lower rates of both domestic and non-domestic violent assault during the five-year period of inquiry. The coverage of water bodies did not reveal a significant association. This study underscores the consistent negative association between green space and interpersonal violence and highlights its potential implications for urban planning and landscape design as strategies for violence mitigation.