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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| A redeveloped trail in the el Centro neighbourhood in Philadelphia |
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| 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.
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