Perceptions of the security and attractiveness of urban parking lots

doi:10.1016/S0272-4944(85)80001-3

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Volume 5, Issue 4, December 1985, Pages 311-323

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(85)80001-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study concerns design features of urban parking lots which can increase the perception of such areas as both safe and attractive. College students evaluated the attractiveness and perceived security associated with 180 scenes of parking lots adjacent to commercial and multi-family residential structures in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, U.S.A. High intergroup correlations (r > 0·90) indicated the reliability of evaluations of both perceived features. Regressions of physical features on perceived security ratings and attractiveness ratings yielded highly predictive models (R² = 0·76 and 0·80, respectively). For both sets of ratings a Maintenance and Design factor accounted for the most variance. Although attractiveness ratings were higher as the total amount of vegetation increased in a scene, security was in general rated higher only when vegetation was well maintained and appeared to be installed as part of a landscape design. Attractiveness was generally higher for multi-family residential scenes than for commercial scenes. Perceived security was higher for frontal views of structures, especially when entrances were proximate to the viewer. Research implications are discussed in terms of the impact of natural features in urban areas for increasing attractiveness and reducing fear of crime.

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First, in relation to the conflict between more greenery and people's behavior, this fact can be attributed to the quality of landscape design, where the organic growth of shrubs and narrow sidewalks brought vegetation too close to pedestrians and obstructed their views which, in turn, compromised personal security. Several studies have found that dense vegetation (shrubs and trees) has specifically been associated with a fear of crime in parking lots, university campuses, and urban parks (Shaffer and Anderson, 1985; Nasar and Fisher, 1993; Fisher and Nasar, 1992; Kuo et al., 1998; Michael et al., 1999). Such studies show that dense vegetation can possibly increase the incidence and fear of crime: large shrubs, underbrush, and dense woods, which substantially diminish visibility, can support criminal activity (Kuo and Sullivan, 2001).
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Several studies emphasize that the relationship between vegetation density and perceived security is strongly affected by the level of maintenance of the vegetation [21,32]. There is strong agreement in the literature that perceived levels of maintenance in urban green areas is an important factor affecting perceived security [29,31,38,43]. Low levels of maintenance suggest the absence of surveillance and control over the park and accordingly lead to reduced perceptions of security.
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Trees, or more broadly urban vegetation, have long been recognized as a crime generator because of its possibility to offer places to hide criminal behaviors (Nasar et al., 1993). In high crime neighborhoods, dense vegetation has been correlated with increased fears among residents in the surrounding neighborhoods (Shaffer and Anderson, 1985). Urban parks have also been positively associated with fear of crime (Maruthaveeran and van den Bosh, 2015) and actual crime activities (Groff and McCord, 2012; Tower and Groff, 2016), diminishing the role of green space as providing opportunities for social gatherings and activities.
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It is believed that the dense vegetation facilitates crimes by providing an ideal concealment for potential predators (Fisher & Nasar, 1992; Forsyth, Musacchio, & Fitzgerald, 2005; Michael & Hull, 1994; Michael, Hull, & Zahm, 2001; Nasar, Fisher, & Grannis, 1993; Stoks, 1983). Also, general fear and fear of crime are directly linked to densely vegetated areas due to the diminishing visibility (Fisher & Nasar, 1992; Foster & Giles-Corti, 2008; Foster, Giles-Corti, & Knuiman, 2010; Kuo & Sullivan, 2001; Schroeder & Anderson, 1984; Shaffer & Anderson, 1985). On the other hand, other researchers have argued that trees are a suppressor of crime occurrence for the following three reasons (Cozens, Saville, & Hillier, 2005; Hartig, Mang, & Evans, 1991; Kaplan, 1987; Kuo, 2003; Kuo, Bacaicoa, & Sullivan, 1998; Kuo & Sullivan, 2001; Sullivan & Kuo, 1996).
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: This research was conducted through a cooperative research agreement between the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. and USDA Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Asheville, NC, Contract No. 12-11-008-876, Supplement 73.

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ArticlePerceptions of the security and attractiveness of urban parking lots

Abstract

Landscape Planning

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Landscape Planning

Landscape Planning

Landscape Planning

Land use designations affect perception of scenic beauty in forest landscapes

Forest Science

Security

The attractiveness of woodlands: perceptions of forest landowners in Massachusetts

Forest Science

Predicting scenic quality for urban forests using vegetation measurements

Forest Science

Streets of San Francisco: Brunswik's Lens Model applied to urban inference and assessment

Journal of Social Issues

Measuring Landscape Esthetics: The Scenic Beauty Estimation method

Convenience stores, armed robbery, and physical environmental features

American Behavioral Scientist

Safety in urban neighborhoods: a comparison of physical characteristics and informal territorial control in high and low crime neighborhoods

Population and Environment

Twenty-Five Worthwhile Concepts from Urban Europe

Article
Perceptions of the security and attractiveness of urban parking lots