The relationship between plants and perceived safety in residential areas has been argued by
landscape researchers, but there is inadequate or no relevant literature available on the effect of plants
in urban parks’ safety. Therefore, a photo-questionnaire survey was conducted among urban park
users in Tabriz, Iran to gauge the perceived safety of landscape scene with diverse types of texture to
discover its effectiveness, especially in relation to the content of the scene. The survey was composed
of 296 participants in November, 2012. The result suggested that landscape scene with vast aspect and
physical access was perceived safer than the scene with crowded plants and blocked view. The
findings demonstrated that a scene without lawn and water is perceived to be less safe than a scene
with lawn and features of water. Moreover, landscape scene with more plant species was unsafe as
compared to a scene with fewer plant species. This study proved that a landscape designed with
ground cover such as lawn, grass and water feature implies increment of perceived safety in urban
parks. Likewise, landscape designers should avoid crowded planting in areas, which obstructs visibility
in urban parks and reduces perceived safety. The results expand the application of routine activity (RA)
theory in park landscape design in Tabriz, Iran.