ReThink Red Deer
Safety and community planning
Safety a key element of sustainable communities
We can all get quite worked up about the latest crimes in Red Deer, or in our neighbourhoods. That’s natural and that’s the way it should be – we don’t want to be complacent about it.
Yet reacting to crime with policing, courts, social services and other responses is only part of the picture. The other (and, some would say, more important) element is what we do to prevent crime and encourage healthy, non-criminal, community activities.
In talking with people about safety on our streets in Red Deer, the conversation can easily get bogged down on some variation of “get the bums off the streets.”
It’s interesting to note, though, that our sense of safety on our streets is not dictated solely by individuals on the street (“bums” or otherwise). There are many factors, ranging from lighting and street surfaces and points of view – but an often overlooked one is simply how many other people like me or you are on that street.
If I’m walking down a street and one shady-looking character is shuffling toward me in a hoodie, I might be intimidated. I will be much less intimidated if that one shady-looking character is mixed in amongst 100, 200 or more people who I am comfortable rubbing shoulders with. If I go out walking in a neighbourhood after dark, I like it when there are lots and lots of other people out strolling the streets too.
So from a planning point of view, what can a community do to create the kind of urban environment that encourages people out into the streets? Can we dedicate more time and energy to this positive goal and not get fixated on getting certain other people off the streets?
ReThink Red Deer (www.rethinkreddeer.ca) thinks that there is a strong connection between our urban planning and our safety.
We are fortunate to have an expert on the connection between community planning and crime prevention here in Red Deer. Steve Woolrich of SeCure Consulting Services advises organizations, individuals and businesses on effective methods reducing crime using “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” (CPTED) principles. Steve also has an interesting blog site at www.targetcrime.ca
On Tuesday, November 24, Steve will give a one hour presentation on “Planning for a Safe Community,” followed by a Q & A session.
Steve has recently participated in a number of international conferences on crime prevention and will bring his insights on issues like graffiti, urban planning, and property protection to share with you.
We hope to see you November 24, 6:30 pm, in room 1303 at RDC.
As usual, thanks to RDC Green Campus (www.rdc.ab.ca/greencampus/) for the donation of meeting space.
Posted in City Planning by: lornedaniel 2009/11/03 2 Comments
- At a symposium on the subject of Crime Prevention in the Community that I attended these very issues were addressed. One message that I came away with to put into practice myself was to make the streets safer we must use them! A good example that was given was that if a green space in your neightborhood has been taken over to an undesirable use; for example drug trafficing that the residents must start using that space for this to stop. Undesirable behaviors start in a paricular area because it is "unused". If the general public start using this space the activity will usually stop. It made me re-evaluate my behavior and outlook.Reply
- Exactly - if 'average citizens' retreat into their media rooms, gated communities or back yards, we are indicating that we don't care about those streets, parks and other areas.Reply
