During greenway planning efforts, landowners along the proposed path often voice concerns about an increase in crime due to the expectation that a greenway provides criminals with refuge and sheltered access to targets. In response to this common public perception, this study investigates the question of whether the presence of a greenway increases the risk of crime occurring on the properties adjacent to the greenway. Three greenways in Chapel Hill, North Carolina were selected for the study. Through spatial analysis in a geographic information system, crime trends in the study areas for periods before and after each greenway installation were compared to trends for the same time periods in control areas with similar socioeconomic composit...