Urban Design and Crime
October 3rd, 2006 | by Rob Goodspeed | Published in Downtown | 3 Comments
With recent robberies making headlines and a crime alerts from the U-M Department of Public Safety in our inbox, it is clear that crime is a problem facing the city. The campus and city is generally safe, but recent robberies are clearly troubling. Although crime is a complex problem with complex solutions, we think good urban design can play a role in enhancing public safety.
Maryland graduate Justin Auciello recently sent us an email pointing out an op-ed he wrote for the Diamondback last spring. In the article he describes how the community of Sarasota, Florida used a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Plan (CPTED) to reduce crime along their “gateway corridor” not unlike Route 1. Their law improved lighting in streets and parking lots, encouraged balconies and mandated shorter shrubbery, among other changes. Auciello argues the relatively low-cost changes of such an ordinance could reduce the “perception and reality” of crime in College Park. In particular, he urges the College Park City Council to create a subcommittee to study the issue. Do you think design can reduce crime?
> Diamondback Op-Ed: “Reducing crime through smart design“
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:17 pm (#)
As this is perhaps the most salient issue facing College Park today, it is imperative that urban design play a key role in reducing the perception and reality of criminal activity.
See another crime reduction/design op-ed that I wrote for the Diamondback last week:
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/09/25/4517648740071?in_archive=1
October 4th, 2006 at 3:02 am (#)
I fully think that a better designed area would reduce both the perception and the actuality of crime in and around campus. Even walking back from the library at 10pm can feel a little unsafe. More lighting, and above all an increased police presence would be a definitive improvement. While I have noticed steps in the right direction (last week I couldn’t count the number of police cruisers I saw between Old L-town and the top of Knox). However, I do notice that the areas usually featured in the emails are places like parking lots, or paths between buildings, I don’t really know how these areas could be improved to reduce crime, if anyone has any ideas, I would really like to see them.
October 17th, 2006 at 2:05 pm (#)
[...] Student Government leaders lead university and government officials around campus last night during their annual safety walk. They considered lighting, camera coverage, and overgrown shrubbery that could aid criminals (all topics that we explored briefly a couple weeks ago). Officials repeatedly swayed the conversation on crime to one of its root causes – drinking. A brief jaunt through CP’s crime alerts will confirm their arguments in case you have any reservations about them. [...]