Linking Crime and Perceptions - ANALYSIS

Comparing across the three hierarchies makes it apparent that:
* There is an incongruence between a park's crime context and the
perceptions of safety on the part of park users
* There is an incongruence between a park's crime context and the
perceptions of crime on the part of park users.

Billy Taylor Park has the second lowest crime rate, and yet it is ranked second worst for perceptions of safety and perceptions of crime. In other words, although the park's region has low crime compared to other parks, the park users had comparatively greater perceptions that the park wasn't safe and that a lot of criminal activities occurred there. This fits with the fact that judging from the interview responses, I had expected there to be a comparatively greater amount of crime there (this was the impression I received from interviewees). Specifically, I expected the crime maps to show a greater preponderance of drug violations in the area than they actually did. I had heard that Mount Hope has a prolific drug trade, and that this activity is centered along Pleasant St.; one of my respondents had described how he believes that criminal elements enter the park from the Pleasant St. area. However, the crime report maps showed very little drug activity (at least compared to the other parks), and the main hot-spot was not located on Pleasant St. One of the main reasons for this could be the limitations of using the crime report database; it doesn't show calls for police service, nor does it show a lengthy time interval. The fact that park users had comparatively worse perceptions of crime and safety than the other parks, regardless of comparatively low crime, highlights the ongoing issues in the park. It is a public space that is being taken advantage of by perpetrators of crime, and as a result has become an important point of conflict in the neighborhood.

Sackett Street Park is positioned third in total crime, the same for perceptions of safety, and next to last in perceptions of crime. So although park users felt that there was relatively little crime occurring there, this didn't necessarily translate to greater perceptions of safety.

Donigian Park follows Dexter in terms of quantitative crime, yet has the worst perceptions of safety and highest perceptions of crime than any other park. This certainly fits with the sense I got from people during interviews. One of my immediate impressions was how consistently interviewees stated their reluctance to be in the park at night, regardless of how much they generally liked to use the park. In fact, the low percent of respondents who said they wouldn't want to visit the park after nightfall (11%) was the main contributing factor to the low score for perceptions of safety. Overall, people had positive things to say about the park (and the general atmosphere there corroborated this sense), even when they didn't necessarily feel safe there. I believe that this is important, for it demonstrates the potential of the park to be a successful place, despite a high neighborhood crime rate.

Dexter Training Ground is one of the most interesting cases. It has more crime than any other site, and yet has one of the highest perceptions of safety (coming in second after Fargnoli Park). It is ranked third in perceptions of crime, but as one can see from the assigned scores, this does not differ significantly from the high perceptions of crime at the next park in the hierarchy, Billy Taylor Park. So it seems that in spite of the high rate of crime in the surrounding environment, users felt very safe there, and these perceptions of safety were much more positive than would be expected from their beliefs about park criminal activity. Users were aware of the crime conditions in the area, and yet this did not seem to preclude positive perceptions. More than any other 'high crime park', people at Dexter expressed a great deal of satisfaction with their park and very few even remotely negative comments were made about it.

There are a myriad of factors that impact people's perceptions of a space. The amount of criminal activity in an area does not necessarily have to be related to the safety and success of a park. As shown by some of these results, a park can become a focus of criminal activity and be a strong indication of the overall problems a neighborhood is experiencing. On the other hand, a park can be liked and enjoyed by its users regardless of the high crime rates in the surrounding area. This is exemplified by what was found at Dexter Training Ground. Some of the features that might be contributing to its relative success include:

- A constant stream of users. The park is constantly used by dogwalkers, and the playground is a popular amenity. This steady use may deflect criminal behavior and make people feel safer.

- A committed neighborhood organization committed to improving conditions at the park and working with the Parks Department to resolve concerns and issues.

- The general layout of the park. Dexter is surrounded on all sides by residential streets, and despite the presence of trees, one can see through and around the entire area from any point in the park. This openness and good visibility might positively impact user's perceptions of safety.

Considering this last point regarding park design, it is interesting to note that the parks with the worst perceptions of safety - Billy Taylor Park and Donigian Park - are significantly different to Dexter in terms of their design features. Most notably, both are closed off in their rear sections; one cannot see through the entire park due to a slightly concealed, vegetated back corner, and one cannot walk around the entire park perimeter while looking into the park. In both cases, these areas were considered the 'problem spots'. In Billy Taylor Park it was said that people were using the corner farthest from the road and surrounded by trees and vegetation for illicit activity. The same was said of the riverbank area in Donigian Park. The idea that these design features could be contributing to crime issues is corroborated by the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Plan (who applied for grant money to do selective pruning on the riverside vegetation in Donigian Park), as well as the general literature on park safety (see Park Challenges - Poor Design/Poor Location).