I now feel private (sometimes public) landscaping is a Top-2 (possibly #1) part of our sense of street cleanliness. If we are asked to rank 5 locations in terms of “street cleanliness” then this factor probably dominates.

When you walk on a street with nice landscaping, you would not litter. People behave according to the physical environment including the subtle signs. The landscaping sends a subtle signal of decency, order, civilization and wealth. Only the rich families can afford landscaping.

Eg: I visited Scarsdale and Hastings-on-Hudson only once, but the street landscaping left a lasting impression.

Eg: I visited different parts of Bayonne. Some homes along Ave E have run-down landscaping, or no lawn at all. However, two adjacent blocks can have very different levels of landscaping. The homes near the county park and near Parkside Lane have nice landscaping. The lawn probably contributes to lot size and higher pTax.

If you don’t want to pay the premium on a big home with big lawn, then just avoid those wealthy districts. Buy row houses or condos. They probably have smaller lot size, lower pTax and still come with some green space.

— run-down buildings also affect our sense of street cleanliness
Bushwick apartments for rent — In 2010 or 2011, I was choosing a new room for myself without family. I visited one unit by the elevated metro rail. The Chinese lady owner reassured me that her double-layer glass window was sound-proof, but I found the building, the street so dilapidated… a livelihood hazard. If I were to take a picture of the place, it would look gloomy , grim and greyish dark. That’s my memory of it, probably not the reality. My repulsion became a livelihood concern, a bigger concern than long commute !

The worst run-down buildings are almost always in NYC near the run-down subways. They are the physical representation of ghetto. Outside NYC, I feel Newark and Journal square also have very old run-down buildings.