SDS Seminar Series – Shane Jensen, University of Pennsylvania

The Fall 2026 SDS Seminar Series continues on November 6th from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with Shane Jensen (Professor of Statistics and Data Science, University of Pennsylvania). This event is in-person in the Avaya Room (POB 2.302).    

Title: Studying the Green Landscape of Philadelphia

Abstract: Recent availability of high resolution data allow us to empirically investigate the landscape of large cities.  I will focus on green space in Philadelphia and investigate a specific built environment intervention, the greening of vacant lots by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.  Through mostly matching-based approaches, we find that vacant lot greening is associated with significant reductions in crime and increases in real estate value, though effects can differ substantially depending on the surrounding neighborhood.   We also investigate the impact of vacant lot greening on foot traffic changes through the COVID-19 pandemic using Safegraph location data.  In this study, we compare greening to a second vacant lot intervention, new construction, that also has non-random selection but in a different direction.   Finally, we will use satellite imagery data to examine the strong spatial and longitudinal relationships between vegetation, water proximity and temperature over the past decade across Philadelphia.