Safety

 

Crime and safety often top the list of 'concerns' identified by national polls, even when criminal activity is exhibiting a steady decline. A common response to these concerns in many places has been that of relocation to gated communities, in attempts to avoid crime.

However, a sense of community is an oft-forgotten but essential ingredient for neighborhood safety. A study published in 1997 by the Harvard School of Public Health found that community spirit and involvement reduced violent crime by as much as 40 percent. The study also found that people were willing to watch out for one another, regardless of racial or income disparities, if they enjoyed a sense of community. Neighbors need not be formally organized or have close relationships to have an impact. According to University of Chicago sociologist Robert Sampson, “We're talking about people just having a shared sense of responsibility.”

Design of neighborhoods, streets and houses can play an important role in fostering a sense of community. Seattle officials have noticed a decrease in crime with the establishment of community gardens. Integrating diverse land uses with a nearby corner grocery store, as discussed by Jane Jacobs in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, also helps build a sense of community, as do small neighborhood parks and shared courtyards. Juxtaposing grocery stores, neighborhood schools, community centers and other destinations near residential areas encourages pedestrianism and increases the “eyes on the street” phenomenon at all hours.

Conscientious street design also helps create a sense of community. In the book Livable Streets, Don Appleyard reported that residents on streets with low traffic volumes had more contact with their neighbors than those on streets with high traffic volumes. Wide residential streets typical of many new subdivisions can lead to high traffic speeds and other dangerous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. This is reflected in the disproportionately large number of pedestrian injuries and deaths in the U.S. in recent years. In California in 2006, for example, pedestrians accounted for more than 17 percent of all traffic fatalities compared to 11 percent at the national level (http://www.ots.ca.gov/OTS_and_Traffic_Safety/Program_Summary.asp). And over half of all pedestrian fatalities nationwide occur on roadways that run through residential neighborhoods (http://www.ewg.org/reports/meanstreets).

Housing design at the individual level can also enhance community safety. Residences with prominent garages and fences, and with few front windows, mean fewer “eyes on the street.” More windows and greater visibility, alternatively, help discourage criminal activity. So does clear delineation of public and private spaces, by discouraging the creation of poorly maintained “no man’s land” that tends to attract criminal elements. Front porches and private yards provide semiprivate spaces that encourage neighborly interaction. Private courtyards also provide safe, protected outdoor play spaces for young children.

Resources

With an eye to increasing the safety of streets for all, the Local Government Commission has developed several guidebooks for pedestrian- and bike-friendly neighborhood design and retrofits:

• Street Design Guidelines for Healthy Neighborhoodswas written by Dan Burden, director of Walkable Communities, with assistance from a team including two traffic engineers, an urban designer and a citizen planner. It offers guidelines for constructing low-volume, slow-speed, traditional residential streets.
• Streets and Sidewalks, People and Cars: A Citizens' Guide to Traffic Calming, by Dan Burden, provides detailed information for local government officials and residents on retrofitting streets to encourage safer traffic speeds.
• Emergency Response, Traffic Calming and Traditional Neighborhood Streets, by Dan Burden with Paul Zykofsky, is designed to address concerns raised by fire departments and other emergency response teams about street retrofit and design efforts. It also helps clarify emergency responders’ perspectives for the benefit of traffic engineers, local officials and residents.

Two of our “Focus on Livable Communities” series of 4-page, illustrated fact sheets provide a clear, brief overview on the following safety-related topics:

• Land Use Planning for Safe, Crime-Free Neighborhoods
• Designing Safe Streets and Neighborhoods

Designs and Codes that Reduce Crime around Multifamily Housing
Fact Sheet | Example Guidelines and Codes

Web Links

• California Safe Routes to School (www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/saferoutes/saferoutes.htm)
• Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov)
• National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Kids Walk to School Site (www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov)
• Project for Public Space (www.pps.org)
• Traffic Reduction/Street Reclaiming Made Easy (www.lesstraffic.com)
• Walkable Communities, Inc. (www.walkable.org)