Innovating Transit Safety - What one city might learn from another

In 2024, New York deployed the National Guard to patrol subways
 - photo courtesy of Flickr via Creative Commons

by Gregory Saville

Comparing crime between cities is always a challenge. Crime rates, cultures, and demographics vary widely. This is especially the case with different transit systems where light rail station designs and social environments differ. 

With these caveats in mind, looking at the safety strategies in the public transit systems of Portland’s TriMet and Calgary Transit provides a unique opportunity to explore how transit security evolves and how Calgary (and other cities) might learn from a unique program in Portland: the Safety Response Team (SRT). 

(Editorial Rant: I am mindful of the recent US/Canada tariff war. I have my own opinions on that fiasco that will remain out of this blog. But now, perhaps more than ever, it is important to acknowledge how different cities can share important lessons from each other to make places safer for all our citizens! Rant done!) 

Different Cities, Different Systems

I have seen security footage of recent violent incidents on both the Calgary and Portland light rail systems. Clearly, neither system is immune from crime, even though overall rates of violence on public transit, compared to other areas in the city, are exceedingly low. 

Calgary Transit light rail - photo Greenwood714, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I have also spent time on both transit systems, having taught SafeGrowth in both cities. I love spending time in both cities! 

Calgary and Portland are distinct in many ways. Calgary’s metropolitan area has about 1.4 million residents, while Portland’s metro population is closer to 2.5 million. Portland’s TriMet system covers 59 miles of light rail with 149 stations, compared to Calgary’s CTrain, which spans 27 miles with 42 stations. Calgary Transit moves about 106 million riders annually, whereas TriMet serves 67 million riders. 

Portland's TriMet light rail Tilikum Crossing
Photo Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Portland also has a higher murder rate than Calgary (and more handguns in the US). Other types of crime rates, however, are not so different and since last year Calgary has seen an increase in the proportion of gun-related homicides. 

Calgary Transit employs about 140 peace officers, giving it a ratio of 3.11 officers per station. TriMet’s system, by contrast, has a much lower security/police officer-to-station ratio—approximately 1.06 per station (Portland uses a combination of security officers and law enforcement officers who respond when called). 

Despite these differences, Portland’s Safety Response Team (SRT) represents an innovation that Calgary could benefit from, even within its own distinct system.

The Portland SRT: A Social Response to Transit Safety

As we learned from Beth Dufek’s three-part blogs on TriMet’s SRT - the Safety Response Team (November 2023, January 2024, and March, 2024), it was a response to increasing safety concerns on the system. Rather than focusing purely on enforcement, SRT members take a different approach: they are unarmed, patrol in teams of 4, trained in conflict resolution and first aid skills. They use a Smartsheet on their phones to carefully track all interactions (in 2023, SRT had 11,354 interactions and provided 8,022 people with services).

TriMet's SRT group - January 2023 
Photo courtesy of TriMet

They discourage inappropriate and illegal behavior through engagement and, where possible, not enforcement. They also conduct social service outreach, providing referrals for housing, mental health support, and addiction treatment. The team even carries Narcan to intervene in opioid overdoses.

This program has gained national recognition. In 2023, the American Public Transportation Association awarded TriMet its highest honor for security and safety innovations, largely due to the impact of the SRT.

In contrast, Calgary Transit relies more on traditional enforcement. Its peace officers are sworn officers who can issue fines, make arrests, and carry batons and handcuffs. While effective in crime deterrence, this approach does not inherently offer a similar social service outreach that the SRT offers. Calgary does have an “ambassador program” with transit employees who help customers with route information and inquiries, but that is a far cry from the SRT. 

Conducting safety audits of a TriMet station in Portland
during SafeGrowth training

SafeGrowth and the Future of Transit Safety

Over the past few years, we conducted SafeGrowth Training with TriMet’s security team and the SRT. By applying SafeGrowth principles, the TriMet security team, along with their SRT, is equipped to create safer transit spaces not just through security, but through 1st and 2nd Generation CPTED, proactive engagement, and problem-solving.

Calgary Transit has taken steps to address safety, including increasing peace officers by 25% in 2023 and deploying security guards at select stations. However, the question remains: could a model like the SRT, rooted in social outreach and engagement, provide an additional layer of safety beyond enforcement? Given that nearly half of Calgarians still avoid transit due to safety concerns, it may be time to explore such an approach.

Moving Forward

The challenges of transit safety won’t be solved by enforcement alone. Transit systems across Canada and the US face challenges from declining ridership, public fears, and crime. For example, last year, New York deployed 1,000 National Guard troops on the subway system in response to some high-profile crimes and increasing fears. This was despite questions about their ill-preparedness for policing tasks and public concerns that, instead of feeling reassured, some citizens feel more uncomfortable about soldiers with machine guns on subway platforms. 

Portland at night - SafeGrowth training with public transportation   

There are better ways forward. Portland’s TriMet SRT offers a glimpse into what a different model can look like—one that combines security with social outreach. 

Calgary Transit has made strides in bolstering its security presence, but adding a program similar to the SRT could help address safety concerns in a way that enforcement alone cannot. As transit agencies worldwide explore new models of safety, it may be time for Calgary and other cities to take a closer look at what’s working in Portland.

Extinction or Evolution? CPTED Guidelines

The new Under Armor development on the Baltimore Peninsula.
Urban design is a major force in the modern city. 

by Gregory Saville

I was recently asked to review CPTED guidelines for a national government, the kind of thing builders, architects, and developers will use across that country. There are many CPTED guidelines posted on the website of the International CPTED Association

CPTED guidelines fit into the broader strategy called urban design guidelines. Many people do not really understand the concept of design guidelines or why urban design guidelines are needed. Even urban designers question their use. Paul Goldberger, an architectural critic for the New Yorker, commented in 2003 in The Next American City magazine (now Next City):

 “…design guidelines are a safety net. But they also, almost invariably, prevent anything creative, fresh, interesting or different from happening. They force things toward a banal middle.”

Some design checklists are plodding, time-consuming, and extensive. They can also slow development, a disaster for some projects on a tight fiscal budget. This can be a problem! Consider when affordable housing and economic activity are needed quickly in a struggling city. Shouldn’t we streamline new building regulations, not slow them down? Design guidelines are the poster children for red tape.  

If CPTED guidelines make that worse, should they vanish? Do they accomplish the goal of a safer environment?

 

The atrium of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC.
Some say that beautiful architecture is not possible with design guidelines 

A STAPLE IN URBAN DESIGN 

Urban design guidelines are pervasive and have been around for decades. They are a staple in the urban design world, especially in municipal government. Public sector urban planners walk a tightrope between protecting public safety on one hand, and being careful not to overload private developers with already burdensome regulations and building controls. 

But what about CPTED design guidelines? 

I have created CPTED guidelines many times in different cities over the years, including co-authoring the extensive Saskatoon CPTED/SafeGrowth guidelines with urban planner, Elisabeth Miller.  

CPTED design guidelines also appear in cities like New York City and Vancouver. Despite political hullabaloo in that city opposing CPTED, Vancouver still uses CPTED guidelines.

Vancouver Place Stadium. Vancouver, BC, still uses CPTED guidelines
despite the political hullabaloo to the contrary.

DO CPTED GUIDELINES WORK?

Back in 1996, I helped design some CPTED guidelines for the City of Langley, BC. Since then, obviously, they have been updated. When I read the updated Langley CPTED guidelines, the problem became obvious. Whoever updated them did not read the current research. In fact, many CPTED guidelines are hopelessly out of date and no longer align with current research. Or, more to the point, they present CPTED without describing how environmental context determines success or failure.

The governmental BC Housing CPTED guidelines are a prime offender. Despite a 2019 publication date, those guidelines still promote practices that have been shown not to work. Others can make things worse. Some of the claims are, at best, specious:  

“Research into criminal behaviour indicates that the decision to offend or not to offend is more influenced by cues to the perceived risk of being caught than by cues to reward or ease of entry.” 

If you read the research, you discover a more nuanced truth. Research studies say something quite different. Consider psychological research of  environmental influences on criminal behavior:

"Opportunities present themselves, but only a small number of people exploit those opportunities in a criminal manner [Environmental] changes do not transform a criminal into a responsible person. Attributing criminal behavior to external circumstances perpetuates a deterministic view that ignores the role of choice and tends to absolve people of personal responsibility."

The International CPTED Association publishes the
latest research and statements about the state of the art

THE REQUIRED INGREDIENTS

That is the problem with CPTED design guidelines. Without instructions on the necessary research that must accompany any application of CPTED, there is no way to understand the context of a particular crime situation. Without context, CPTED is risky. As the International CPTED Association suggests for certified practitioners: “Context is Everything”. 

You can definitely reduce crime risks by using the right CPTED strategies, but it’s important to gather data and do research first. Only after this risk assessment research can you figure out the best approach. For example, adding more lights might help reduce crime in one area, but in another spot, you might need to turn off the lights and try a different approach.

Good CPTED strategies aren't a one-size-fits-all solution. If you come across guidelines that only offer outdated, basic CPTED ideas without context or fail to consider modern approaches like 2nd Generation CPTED or the role of psychology and sociology in crime behavior, just disregard them! They're as outdated as dinosaurs. They are extinct.

Home of the late Elvis Presley in Palm Springs, California.
Can design guidelines produce beautiful architecture and safe places? 

A CPTED guideline for reducing crime is not like an engineering guideline for construction. Stairway materials, weight, and strength are a simple matter of physics. Materials have known scientific properties. Few, if any, such social or psychological “materials” exist consistently in the social world. Human behavior, it turns out, is exceedingly complex. 

STICK WITH CPTED AS IT HAS EVOLVED 

Crime risks can definitely be reduced, and CPTED strategies can be effective. But basic 1st Generation CPTED strategies don't always work unless you also do a proper risk assessment first. If the guidelines don’t explain how to do that research, you're setting yourself up for failure.

This principle is clearly stated on the ICA website. Governments would be wise - and legally prudent - to follow their advice: 

"As with all CPTED principles, there are no single strategies that will reduce all crime; they should be applied in combinations based on a thorough analysis of the local context. However, the history of CPTED suggests that comprehensive urban planning and community development requires consideration of all First and Second Generation CPTED principles."

The community overstory - an unconscious network of voluntary controls

In Calgary, Canada, part of the city overstory is influenced
by the proximity of the Rocky Mountains

by Larry Leach

What is your community’s overstory? In Malcolm Gladwell’s most recent book, Revenge of the Tipping Point, he discusses the power of an overstory. An overstory is the story we tell ourselves collectively about where we live. If most people in an area adopt this view, it becomes the community overstory. The story can have many elements and colours, and it influences human behaviour in the community.

An example of an overstory in my city, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is Cowtown: Home of the World Famous Calgary Stampede. For 10 days every July, people dress up in Western garb, including cowboy hats and boots. The overstory of the city during this 10-day party? Anything goes! The increase in public intoxication, social disorder, assaults, and similar behaviour increases dramatically. 

On a regular day, these people are all law-abiding people. But add a dramatic Stampede Week overstory, and people behave differently. 

Consider the proverb, When in Rome, do as the Romans. That is built on the idea of the overstory. Remember the advertising slogan What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? That, too, creates an overstory. 

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Ancient proverb about human behaviour.
Photo of the Great [Roman] Bath, Bath, England,
by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CHANGING BEHAVIOUR

Why would your behaviour change when you are in a different place? It might be a survival instinct, but it’s the idea of living up to community expectations in most places. In other words, if they can do it, why can’t I? 

We decide collectively the standards that we are willing to accept in our communities. A half century ago, Jane Jacobs once echoed this behavioural pattern in Death and Life of Great American Cities when she wrote, “the public peace is.. kept primarily by an intricate, almost unconscious, network of voluntary controls…and enforced by people themselves.”

Gladwell adds the final ingredient into the overstory recipe when he describes what he calls the law of the few, or also known as the law of thirds (you need one-third of the people in a place to behave in a certain way for it to become part of your overstory).

Calgary Stampede revelers at the annual celebration

WHAT SETS THE TONE?

An overstory can be set in an area because of physical circumstances. If you live near mountains, you might have skiing as part of your overstory. Your area may produce better winter athletes, and mountain resorts might attract wealth. If you live near the ocean, you might have a strong surfing culture or fishing industry. If you live in the Caribbean, you might not have a Bobsleigh team. But if you create one, as Jamaica did in the 1998 Calgary Olympics, you may have changed your overstory.

Gladwell examines places that have socially engineered themselves to create an overstory and describes how it can produce some unintended consequences. One place he studied was a community full of high achieving young people in education and sports that ended up with a high youth suicide rate. The overstory of success in the community turned into disaster. As one writer explained: “Teens who didn’t fit into the narrow definition of success didn’t have alternative groups to seek out and find a sense of belonging.”

The overstory sets the tone for behaviour.

At the end of the book, Gladwell says 

“Overstory’s matter. You can create them. They can spread. They are powerful. And they can endure for decades… [And most importantly]… Epidemics have rules. They have boundaries. They are subject to overstories – and we are the ones to create overstories.”

 

An overstory can trigger community clean-ups and other
positive anti-crime activities   

The power of an overstory lies in the acceptance of the people in the community. Using the rule of thirds, it is possible to change community safety for the better.  

Does your community have an overstory? If so, does it work well? Is it positive?  Does it make your community safer? 

If the answer is no to these questions, then your community must work together to create a new overstory. This is one of our goals in Safegrowth. It is an ideal tool to help recreate a positive community overstory and, in turn, encourage safe behaviour. 

A beacon of truth in an age of confusion

Icon for the Era? A Ted Talk by urban planner Alexandros Washburn  

by Gregory Saville

This week, a cultural icon came to mind after watching the incredible biopic about Bob Dylan “A Complete Unknown”. 

The performance of lead actor Timotheé Chalamet was remarkable. He captured a hauntingly similar vibe to the icon himself—Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan. As a teen, I loved Dylan’s many memorable lyrics; “The ancient street’s too dead for dreaming.” The film brought my mind back to the chaotic and hopeful social revolution of the 1960s.  

That’s the thing about icons. Their ideas resonate through time partly because they speak a language of change for something better, and partly because they are a beacon of truth. They show how the status quo no longer works. They see into the future. They set the tone!

 

New York's High Line Park. The work of an icon - photo by Bryan Ledgard,
CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

“A public space is the place where citizens can meet as equals, and the place where society builds trust”– Alexandros Washburn

PLANNING ICONS? 

It’s not often you get urban planning and design icons today with that kind of relevance – icons who educate us by translating complex problems of the day into common parlance. Where are they today, those icons, when we need them most? Jane Jacobs was a powerful urban icon from the 60s, but I struggle when I look for others today.  

Some claim Richard Florida is such a person. Florida, a professor at the University of Toronto and an urban studies theorist, is famous for coining the term creative class as a trigger for urban success. Unfortunately, many of his ideas have not aged well. They have not turned out as predicted and many creative class areas become gentrification. 

That’s not to say others don’t exist with rock star potential. A few might include:

• Andres Duaney and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (American architects of Congress in New Urbanism fame) 
• Gil Penalosa (Canadian/Columbian public parks champion of people-centered design and sustainable transportation) 
• Peter Calthorpe (American author of The Next American Metropolis and creator of the pedestrian pocket) 
• Jan Gehl (Danish architect who popularized humanistic planning).

 I respect these urban thought leaders. I also don’t think they rise to the icon status of a Dylan or Jacobs. 

ALEXANDROS WASHBURN

 “It doesn’t work until it works for the pedestrian”– Alexandros Washburn 

What about Alexandros Washburn? He is a prescient thinker and his firm DRAW Global LLC consults around the world. He is an award-winning architect and former chief urban designer of New York City with innovative and ecologically sound projects across that city, like the famous High Line Park . 

 

Washburn's book, The Nature of Urban Design, empowers urbanites
and introduces a new framework for urban planning 

Washburn is a well-known advocate of resilient city design. He lives in the Red Hook neighborhood of New York City. His TED Talk unveils the kind of resilient successes that might apply to all cities.

 

New York's High Line Park is among the
top tourist destinations in the city

Listen to Washburn answer planning questions on WIRED. He definitely has some Dylanesque mojo. Why does Singapore work so well? How do we fix the sprawling nightmare that is Los Angeles? Like most icons, he answers the big questions simply, but without dumbing down the answer. 

My favorite Washburn story is the story about New York’s famous High Line Park. It was first opened in 2009 in west Manhattan, redesigned from an abandoned, elevated railway viaduct over the Meatpacking District. It was conceived by some citizens who, seizing on a similar tree-lined elevated walkway in Paris, imagined a 1.4 mile-long (2.3 kilometer) ecological, living system in the heart of New York City. 

High Line is a linear urban park, an elevated greenspace, and an art-rich, sculpture-lined promenade with children’s play areas. It was built atop what was formerly one of the worst traffic accident streets in the city once known as Death Alley.

Along with Dutch architect Piet Oudolf who curated the landscaping plan, it was Alexandros Washburn who helped design one of the most innovative urban parks in the world. 

Washburn describes his work on High Line in his planning book The Nature of Urban Design. “You improve the quality of life by improving the quality public space” They are words that sound very much like a beacon of truth.

When industrial decline creates opportunities to transform

 

The former industrial waterfront in Baltimore, now transformed into a multi-use neighbourhood with residential, commercial, parks, open spaces, and restaurants 

by Mateja Mihinjac

A few years ago, we posted some blogs about neighbourhoods in transition and how crime concentrates in these neighbourhoods. 

Tarah wrote about Zone 2 areas in her hometown of Hamilton, a manufacturing city near Toronto. Zone 2 areas of cities, Tarah recounted, are vulnerable to crime due to, among other reasons, poor social control and a social cohesion often termed a sense of community. Using SafeGrowth strategies to build local capacity and empower neighbourhoods was a powerful way forward. 

Following those blogs, Greg wrote about Zone 2 areas in Denver and how building “third places” – like the art co-op called the Denver Art Society – and how co-ops are key to transforming Zone 2 neighbourhoods.

 

Baltimore waterfront is now revitalized with offices and an environmental water reclamation project in the harbour

ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFORM ZONE 2 AREAS

During my travels over the past decade, I have observed a trend where once industrial and factory districts of cities have repurposed former factory buildings into residential condos and shops. In some places, hip new areas with parks and completely new neighbourhoods have emerged on former industrial land.

Several have also transformed into art and cultural districts.

The automobile industry is one of those industries that has seen a major shift in a very short time. This has dramatically affected the cities that were once synonymous with the auto industry.

 

Detroit police have instituted a downtown CCTV system in the industrial city of Detroit, which is on the rebound from an economic collapse 

DETROIT 

A few years back I visited Detroit where one of the neighbourhood groups underwent SafeGrowth training. I remember parts of the city felt like ghost towns because they were void of services, shops and people. Vacant housing was rampant. This was, as I learned, due to the downfall of the auto industry that had only a few decades ago led to the economic and residential boom of The Motor City. 

A few decades on, the decline of the auto industry and environmental concerns left the city in ruins fraught with crime and murder. Population plummeted. 

Over the past few years, things seem to have started improving again with reinvestment, corporate redevelopment, involvement of several non-profits, and repurposing of old factory buildings, as well as targeted policing strategies leading to a safer city.

 

TURIN

The Italian “Motor City” Turin, the home of Fiat, has similarly observed the rise and fall and has been undergoing urban renewal since the mid-nineties.

The Winter Olympics in 2006 was a major catalyst for change that brought in investment for realising the revitalisation plan. The city revitalised areas and repurposed factory buildings that now boost restaurants, shopping, and event spaces, museums celebrating the city’s history, and even rooftop urban gardens. 

Unlike in Detroit, investment in public transport and cycling infrastructure helped the city towards realising its environmental agenda, although reportedly there is still much room for improvement especially with the older generation that is still engrained in their car-dependency mindset (as in Detroit).

As with other cities in the process of transformation, Turin’s crime is reported to be increasing while a national trend suggests a downward trend. The perception of the respondents from Turin suggests that almost 70% perceive crime to have increased over the past 5 years.

This may suggest that as Turin continues its transformation, special attention may need to be given to specific contributors to crime and the perception of crime in Turin to avoid the crime trajectory of Detroit. 

 

A redeveloped trail in the el Centro neighbourhood in Philadelphia

Philadelphia SafeGrowth practitioners Harry Tapia and Stasia Monterio and their remarkable community development corporation - HACE - have completed an urban corridor transformation in a former drug market and homeless encampment

RESILIENCE DURING TRANSFORMATION

These examples are neither isolated nor unique. As most of the world undergoes what has been termed the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and while countries address the social, political, and environmental challenges in urban areas, the transformation that disrupts the status quo is welcome and necessary. We have blogged about this transformation in several urban areas around the world such as The 15 Minute City and the Smart City

These are transformative times and they aim toward more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable and integrated cities. 

If you are looking for a direct path into transformation strategies, particularly if you are a practitioner, then familiarize yourself with the 4 strategies of Third-Generation CPTED. There are dozens of examples of Third-Generation CPTED thinking when it comes to urban safety. 

The best professional and personal pathway in this regard is to be one step ahead of anticipated challenges. That is the best way to find creative and effective safety strategies as we help the transformation of cities toward a safer and more resilient future. 

Do something! Northern Star's fight against school violence

James Fuller, director of operations at the non-profit Northern Star, explains why the organization was formed 

by Gregory Saville

I first met James Fuller a few years ago at a dinner in Dallas after co-teaching a leadership program with a colleague. He shared how he and a group of ex-military veterans had embarked on a bold mission: tackling the pressing issue of school violence and shootings. James passionately described why he took on this tough, uncertain journey. You can hear his full story in the video above.

Their non-profit, Northern Star: Community and School Safety Initiatives, is focused on offering free anti-violence and school development programs. As their website puts it, their vision is to “Unite under a common mission to combat community and school violence at its roots.”

They were looking for some training and specialist expertise in crime prevention, CPTED, socio-emotional learning, and a range of other school safety approaches to offer schools across the nation. 

There could be no higher cause in this journey and we agreed to provide some research and training to help. 

 

School shooting data shows alarming increases 
Chart courtesy of Rogova247, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

SCHOOL VIOLENCE

There is no shortage of strategies and research on school violence and shootings. On this blog, we have been writing about school safety for over 15 years. We’ve had school safety experts like Tod Schneider from Oregon, my blogs on school CPTED lighting, Mateja’s blog on crime in European schools, and sexual assault in schools, and a New Zealand teacher’s work to involve students in their own crime prevention.

Then there was the International CPTED Association school guidebook called CPTED in Schools, co-edited by school safety expert Gerard Cleveland.

Sudbury Secondary School
A high school with new renovation and updated architecture - photo Google Earth

SO MANY STRATEGIES, SO LITTLE IMPLEMENTATION

The problem is not a lack of viable strategies. It is a way to put them into action. In the field of urban planning, there is a CPTED concept known as the urban village versus the urban fortress. 

The idea is that there are hard and soft styles of architecture and planning. In a school setting it is the difference between a school that looks like a prison – tall gates, barbed wire, CCTV, armed guards – and a school that looks like a village – open campus design with ample natural surveillance and opportunities to prevent crime.  

I pointed this out in an interview with NPR a few years ago about school redesign: “the best practices can take a decade or two to permeate through the public narrative.” 

Northern Star is not willing to wait. The key for knowing which style is most appropriate comes down to the school context and the quality of their safety plan. That is where the Northern Star methodology is different from other prevention approaches. 

The urban fortress versus the urban village - we cannot allow our schools to become fortresses but we must still create safe environments

INCLUSIVITY

The first thing I noticed about Northern Star is their inclusivity. They brought in school violence experts, mental health specialists, educators, criminologists, women’s empowerment leaders, researchers, law enforcement, and many others. They are an impressive group clearly committed to mitigating the plague of violence and shootings in one of the most vulnerable places in society – the school.

The Northern Star approach is similar to the collaborative neighborhood plans in SafeGrowth, except they are focused specifically on schools and school violence. They base their Community-based School Safety Action Plan Development and Implementation methodology on a bedrock of evidence-based strategies. 

Accordingly, they are regularly apprised of findings from powerful databases such as the K to 12 School Shooting Database by criminologist David Reidman, assistant professor at Idaho State University and also the Averted School Shooting Database, initially funded by the Department of Justice COPS Office 

It has been a pleasure to work with this group over the past year, along with other colleagues, helping them develop their unified action plan. 

Does nudging work in social media

Hectic, stress-inducing airports can nudge calm behaviour. The Long Beach airport in California uses quiet areas, plenty of greenery, and a playful environment

by Larry Leach

In my last post, I related the concept of nudge. In relation to SafeGrowth, the concept from behavioral economics suggests that human choices and decisions are triggered as much by physical designs as by education, legislation, or enforcement. 

While there are scientific disputes about nudge theory, there is little doubt the concept has mileage in contemporary community-building, whether the community is physical or virtual. This will increasingly become concerning as augmented and virtual reality devices expand. 

The concept of CPTED has always been led by a form of nudging. We see it in 1st generation CPTED. You improve the beautification, cleanliness, and image of an area and you nudge offenders away from that location by making it difficult for them to offend with impunity! 

In 2nd Generation CPTED, you engage neighbours in local cultural, art, and music festivals, and nudge them towards caring more for their community as they get to know each other – what sociologists call collective efficacy. Research shows how collective efficacy can nudge crime out and positive activities in. 

 

Portland enhances collective efficacy by nudging people outdoors to common street gardens where they can socialize and meet neighbours in a positive way

NUDGING IN THE WILD WEST OF CYBERSPACE

If nudging works in the physical environment, what about cyberspace? I recently attended Calgary’s Cyber Summit with Law Enforcement and Cyber Security with companies from all over the world. Can the concept be used online since it is humans who mostly control social media?

Popular opinion is that social media is a cesspool! It’s destructive to mental health and can lead to crime. It continues to be a Wild West when it comes to regulation and the damage filters into the real world.

Those developing social media do not always understand the psychology of impulse behavior and its negative effects. Or perhaps their motives are only about sales or power and not about the harmful impact on daily life? Either way, the damage has been done. That means it’s up to us to carefully choose and decide how we should behave.

Can we use the concept of nudge to influence online behaviour?  Cyber security experts have been attempting to nudge their clients to adopt cyber security habits like using 2-step verification to protect our identity or installing security updates at a regular time. 

Cybersecurity experts are constantly attempting to nudge safer online habits

In other cases, it is possible to add “trigger words” to your preference sections of apps to filter out what you see. Your preference sections are probably filled with swear words, but you can choose to filter out other words that emerge with online scams. 

 

CYBER POWERBROKERS

What else might we do to limit the impact of negative nudging and enhancing civil behavior online? Perhaps we can assemble a community of informed online users who advocate filtering out trigger words that contribute to harmful behaviors? That would prevent negative nudging before it began. Perhaps we can prevent cyber threats like spoofing, deepfakes, and phishing by populating our preferences to avoid risky trigger words? 

We are waiting for the regulations of lawmakers, or the voluntary compliance of platform owners and powerbrokers, to figure out how to govern cyberspace. People should take the powerbrokers out of this equation and democratically decide how to govern each other online. 

There are obviously pros and cons to filtering words, but we need to have this important discussion about how cyber nudging can help, or hinder, our online experience. 

 

It is practically impossible to find any social space where people are not fixated on their phones or their computers - online behaviour matters in the real world

NUDGING A SAFER, MORE CIVIL WAY?

Are we capable of producing online communities that are there for the community and not for profit? These would be communities that don’t use your personal information for profit.

We should start with some stronger guardrails from our favorite online platforms. Imagine if each of us could adhere to the simple principle of being the positive change you want to see in the online world. If the owners of a platform put up their own guardrails, then the community would not need to call out the bad behaviour. Perhaps we can find some responsible platform owners and showcase how they focus on setting the example of what we all want to see in our online world? 

I am not advocating for a perfect, everyone-should-be-happy scenario. I am advocating for careful attention to the cyber nudges that cause harmful behaviour and responsible guardrails to protect the online community. What about more serious consequences for those who do harm for profit (scammers, deep-fake fraudsters, ID thieves)? 

An online community of civil discourse.
Showcasing responsible platform owners.

How about more information about the negative triggers that nudge behaviour in harmful directions (like suicide and harassment)? We already label the harms of tobacco. What about the online harms?  

How about creating a savvy user-base who participates in civil discourse. If this user-base ever comes to pass, we will offer up a quotation attributed to both Nobel Laureate writer George Bernard Shaw and US Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg. It is a concept we also teach in our SafeGrowth classes - it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. That is the basis of a civil society. Otherwise, we end up with what we see online every day.