Croll, Robyn, "Planning for Safer Cities"

Public open spaces in cities across North America and Europe are in decline. The desertion of the public realm can be attributed to many factors, an important one being a lack of personal security. Safety problems, although they effect all segments of society, are particularly relevant to women, the elderly, minority groups and other more vulnerable sectors of society. Women are effected by fear of crime so severely that for most it is part of their everyday experience. The growth of crime in our society has often been attributed to faults within our education system, legal system and social policies. Recently, it has been determined that although planning cannot be blamed for occurrences of crime, changes in the built environment can help reduce the opportunity for crimes to take place. In order for safety to be properly addressed and improved, cities must acknowledge its importance and prioritize their actions. Many cities in North America and Europe have begun to adopt this attitude and have created policies and programs which aim to decrease the fear of crime. The City of Halifax conducted a safety audit of its downtown last summer, in an effort to determine the areas and physical occurrences which made women feel uncomfortable. This is the first step in acknowledging the importance of safety in the built environment. Halifax has the opportunity to draw on experience of many other cities to implement change. Given that change needs to come in the form of public policy, public action, private actions and design of the physical environment, recommendations will be made which outline how Halifax can create a safer downtown. The city's efforts could help determine the future of the downtown of Halifax and the degree to which its citizens, especially women, are able to make use of the city and its services.

Atlantic Planners Institute

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This document was last modified on November 14, 2000.