Can pugs, shrubbery and nicer businesses chase away drug dealers?

I currently have the assignment to learn as much as possible about what a community can do, socially, economically and physically, to make the area outside a north side train station safer. I have been looking at a host of urban greenway projects that alter how public space is used. For the most part these focus on changing traffic patterns, beautifying a district, encouraging fancier retail or connecting existing public spaces.
The situation at this train station is-- (on the negative side) dilapidated public transit viaduct, train access to large portions of the city, proximity to Lake Shore Drive, current and historic reputation as a drug source, few residential buildings on the strip, two large footprint institutional buildings on the block, city-wide police shortage, perception of the area as not needing additional police, and retail and commercial businesses open only until 10pm. (some identified assets) train access to large portions of the city provides 24-hour pedestrian traffic, relatively high occupancy rate among storefronts, active block clubs, proximity to lakeshore parks and aldermanic willingness to discuss transforming the strip.
Very little of the literature I found concerns greenways that make an area more environmentally pleasant and discourage criminal behavior. Comment on this post if you have ideas of urban design, social programs or other tools to tackle this problem.