Children and the future of CPTED

Children have a role to play in their own future

by Larry Leach 

“We’re Not Raising Children… We are Raising Adults” was advice I once received as a young parent. In essence, if your children act in ways you wouldn’t accept from an adult, then you need to help correct that behavior.

Whitney Houston captured this beautifully in The Greatest Love of All: “I believe that children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.”

After reading recent blogs by Greg and Mateja speaking about children and the roots of crime, I wanted to dig a bit deeper into the role of learned behavior and the power of youth to guide us toward safer, healthier communities in both physical and behavioral terms.

Greg’s blog outlined an entire line of crime and learning research in social control theory and blocked opportunity theory. Mateja described how children serve as a catalyst for neighbourhood connections. 

Since 2010, we have featured blogs on youth violence prevention, such as the work of 2nd Gen CPTED co-creator Gerry Cleveland.

THERE IS SOMETHING TO THIS 

When we hear from reformed offenders, their stories often trace back to childhood trauma. Unresolved pain led to alcohol or drug use later in life, used as a mask. Therefore, if many pathways to crime begin in youth, and children lack the tools to process trauma alone, prevention must start there.

School learning at all levels is important for preventing crime - photo woodleywonderworks,
CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

My experience in school politics showed me first-hand how the system tends to measure success. We hear plenty about graduation rates and year-to-year statistics, but not a lot about how the school affects those rates? Were outcomes positive or negative? And what about mental health—rarely measured, though it profoundly shapes students’ lives?

It’s hard to put into numbers the value of mentorship, of a caring adult relationship, or of a community that steps in to support young people. Yet these are the very things that can make a struggling student feel seen and guided.

Research underscores the point. In a paper titled The Impact of Education on Crime: International Evidence, the authors note:

Reductions in crimes leading to an arrest realized from offering better school options to high-risk youth would conservatively produce USD $16,000 in social savings to victims over the next seven years. Because better schools also likely reduce crimes that never lead to an arrest, savings are likely to be substantially higher—especially when factoring in reduced prison and prevention costs.

 

YOUTH CENTRES AND OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

Add to all of this, the lack of focus on the "whole child" in modern school systems, and we now need outside activities like Youth Centres and sport organizations to help develop a healthy mentality as they move towards adulthood. 

Children from youth centre  

Filling youth tool belts with the necessary life tools - when some families are dealing with their own personal trauma - is another key to prevention that many municipalities are missing. This isn’t a statistic for policymakers, but a hands-on community intervention that’s harder to secure buy-in for.

Graduation rates, while important, don’t tell the whole story. A diploma does not guarantee that a young person has the tools to thrive as an adult. Communities need to fill those gaps intentionally, with adults willing to step in as mentors and guides. This takes effort and buy-in, but it can transform lives.

When we consider Third Generation CPTED and building a healthy community, youth should be at the forefront on building plans to prevent crime. Building healthy, connected communities means placing young people at the center of prevention. 

Teach them well. And then, let them lead the way.

 

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. 

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?

Movie night - watching movies on our neighbor's garage door

by Greg Saville

Seasonal celebrations are now underway. Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and National Don’t Make Your Bed Day (Yes, there is such a thing! I’m a believer). Each event celebrates a different aspect of life – seasonal, religious, cultural – and, in so doing, each celebrates our human community. Given the mess that is 2020 - inequity protests around the world, the Racial Reckoning riots in the United States, and the scourge of COVID-19 - we desperately need to celebrate something this year!

Human “community” is an elusive animal. It means different things to different people, and consequently, it means nothing that you can put your finger on. Of course, since we’re not testing a theory in a lab experiment, who cares? It’s okay that we have regular celebrations of community; it’s needed now more than ever.

To some, “community” is their immediate family and circle of friends. (I’ve been particularly lucky in this regard.) For others, it is their social circle or their affiliation with sports teams. To yet others, it is those who share political affinities or who occupy the thousands of groups in Meetup.com. 

TO EACH, HIS-HER OWN

For my part, I recently became obsessed with a YouTube group that takes virtual rides on famous trains around the world (yes, yes… I know how pathetic and uncool that sounds. COVID cabin fever takes a toll!)

Yet there is another important part of this story worth telling. For those of us in the community-building and crime prevention world, the term “community” is too elusive. We prefer using local geography to describe our neighborhood – those buildings, neighbors, parks, shops, and other places within a 15-minute walk of our home. After all, it is within those neighborhoods where we actually live much of our lives. 

Our immediate neighbors, for better or worse, matter a great deal! And it is in those very places where we experience, recover from, or hide from, crime and fear. Mateja Mihinjac and I describe some of these ideas in our Third Generation CPTED article last year.

A pre-Covid, summer afternoon with neighbors

Neighborhoods matter and neighbors matter. So let’s celebrate our neighbors too during this holiday season. I’ve been fortunate to have some great neighbors over the years. We may not always agree about politics or see eye-to-eye on our philosophy of life, but we agree it is important to be a good neighbor. When neighborliness works well, it costs you little, it means a lot, and it contributes to your quality of life. In an upcoming blog, Mateja will describe how we encourage neighborhood engagement. In the meantime, let's celebrate our neighbors. 

To the great neighborhoods and to the great neighbors who care, thanks. You rock! 

Coloring our neighborhood safe

Color plays an important role in neighborhood life

by Mateja Mihinjac

As winter is fast approaching in the northern hemisphere the trees are losing their colorful blankets of leaves. Coupled with that come cloudy overcast or foggy days with short pockets of sunshine signaling the dreary months ahead when we’d rather stay indoors than be exposed to the monotone grey outside. 

However, it turns out there might be ways to break the bland world of winter and introduce some color into our neighborhoods to influence our mood and emotions.

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY

Environmental color psychology research shows color can be used effectively to create emotional responses at conscious and unconscious levels.

In simplified terms, red, orange, and yellow colors create a stimulating cognitive response whereas green and blue have a calming effect on our nervous system. This is an evolutionary adaptation that once helped us survive, but is also is an effective strategy to stimulate desired moods in outdoor spaces. 

Public restroom in Helsingborg, Sweden 

The commercial, design, and health industry has been using this knowledge with great success to promote revenue and to elicit desired emotional responses by incorporating designs that connect us to nature, what is known as biophilic designs.

None of this is a new idea. Ethnic neighborhoods have been using colors for years to showcase their cultural identity and tradition. For example, "Chinatown's” or “Little Italy's” are often characterized by red color whereas "Greek Town's" are wrapped in blue/white designs and blue light installations. This creates a sense of identity and neighborhood attachment for people of that neighborhood’s heritage.

It turns out color psychology might also play a role in crime prevention.

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY AND CRIME

Understanding the importance of a person-environment interaction was the message of CPTED pioneer, C. Ray Jeffery, who emphasized that we must appreciate how external and internal stimuli affect our brain’s response to the environment.

Color splashed onto the simplest urban feature makes a difference

There is anecdotal evidence from Glasgow, Scotland showing how blue color lights might help with suicide and crime prevention. Reports of lower crime rates and increased community ownership also emerged after the mayor of Tirana, Albania decided to use bold color design on many of the city’s buildings.

More detailed research on the color/crime prevention story is, as yet, scarce and inconclusive, but one fact remains: reports from all over the world indicate that residents respond positively to colorfulness and even crave opportunities to partake in them. 

COLORING NEIGHBOURHOOD LIVEABILITY 

While bringing color to the neighborhood might be an effective solution to generate interesting places that promote social interaction, such initiatives also offer a great opportunity to work in partnerships with local residents and co-create these colorful places together. 

One great example is the Intersection Repair Project that creates colorful neighborhood intersections and combines that with residents who co-design their own streets. A few years later, our SafeGrowth team from Christchurch, New Zealand, successfully used the same approach for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere.

Color peeking through a foggy morning 

Of course, coloring neighborhoods does not magically solve neighborhood crime. We still need research on the internal workings of how our brain interprets these places – what Jeffery called internal cognition and internal environment. We have only recently seen reignited academic interest in this topic, for example, our recent study on Third Generation CPTED.

In this new approach, we link internal cognition to Maslow’s theory of human motivation. We emphasize that every high functioning neighborhood should offer opportunities for satisfying both individual and collective needs. Satisfying those needs at the neighborhood level is an important factor in neighborhood liveability. Colorful design throughout our daily public life that elicits positive moods may go a long way to satisfy at least some liveability objectives.

How not to lose your city - Vacant storefronts Part 2

Activating downtown streets need not be complicated

by Mateja Mihinjac

In the previous blog, I presented the extent of vacant storefronts. This blog looks at how they impact crime and fear, and proposes some possible measures that could be implemented to tackle the problem.

Vacant storefronts may impact safety and perception of safety in two major ways. First, vacancies signify lack of ownership over the stores, especially if defaced, and can become crime generators or areas that trigger undesirable street behaviours.

This can be especially problematic if the number of vacancies within a defined area reaches its tipping point and becomes blighted, the concept from the Second Generation CPTED.

Even narrow back streets can become lively

Second, decreased street usage from vacant storefronts impacts perceptions of safety. Street users are strongly influenced by others around them that they perceive as non-threatening. This is why streets that focus on pedestrians and entice them with active storefronts and street vendors increase street activity and make the users feel safer.

Thus, if parts of the city communicate isolation or activities by undesirable groups, they will cease to be a place the general population visits, or visits only for a limited time.

Bicycle parking near outdoor seating - protecting property
while enjoying lunch

WHAT CAN BE DONE? 

There are three main categories of possible responses: urban planning; economic development; rent and regulations.

LAND USE PLANNING

• Promote pedestrian-friendly and safe activity centers that avoid overreliance on cars and the demand for surface parking lots. We wrote about one type of safe activity center called the Neighborhood Hub in our SafeGrowth book.
• Avoid exceeding the Second Generation CPTED concept - threshold capacity - when zoning downtown areas. Replace possible crime attractors with prosocial businesses or community places that act as crime detractors.  
• Create a downtown that is more than retail (sticky places) with a mix of activities that will attract people to visit and stay. For example, shopping malls have expanded to include medical services, cinemas, dining and entertainment options, and libraries. 
• Plan for a diverse range of businesses and corridors in different neighborhoods and populate vacant shops with tenants less vulnerable to the e-commerce effect (i.e. less dry retail shops). Remember: commercial streets need flexibility to adapt to changing economic trends, consumer preferences, and demographics. 

Grocery stores with healthy food options - planning for health

COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Consider non-traditional tenants and pop-up shops. They are excellent "meanwhile places" that fight blight. We have blogged about pop-up retail activities in the past. 
• Employ the First Generation CPTED principle called 'activity support' by strategically positioning street vendors in places that might suffer from a large number of vacancies to maintain street-level activity.
• Consider a Vacant storefront initiative. 

Pop-ups help street life

RENT AND REGULATIONS

• Provide tax deductions for business owners and developers to occupy the shops quickly and similar financial incentives. 
• Institute vacancy tax/fees and remove tax deductions on vacant shops.
• Change existing regulations and remove inflexible or prescriptive policies that create obstacles for business owners and increases costs of operation.

SAFETY FIRST

Any initiatives targeted at boosting business and providing incentives for business owners and shoppers are futile if safety concerns are not addressed.

I disagree with the perspective that urban regeneration should start only when crime drops. Waiting for problems to arise only perpetuates the vicious cycle of crime while citizens stay away from downtown areas. When that occurs, shop owners are left with few options except to purchase expensive and obstructive security measures. This is why safety is an integral part of successful and liveable neighborhoods.

Despite claims to the contrary, reclaiming livability from neighborhoods with entrenched crime and blight is much more difficult and costly than preventing it in the first place. Integrating land uses, zoning, economic activity, regulations and rents, in collaboration with local stakeholders, is the key to livable active streets and what we now call Third Generation CPTED.

Vacant storefronts - How bad is it?

Excessive vacancies contribute to blight

by Mateja Mihinjac

Local shops and offices that occupy storefronts of downtown and suburban streets inject life into those places. Without them, these areas would not attract local residents or visitors and that would leave downtown areas barren and vulnerable to crime. Vacant storefronts communicate messages to passers-by such as an economic downturn, unsafe conditions, or a lack of care. These were some of the responses shared by the participants in a field study I conducted last year.

THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

While an increase in storefront vacancies appears almost universal across western countries, the extent of the problem varies between countries, cities and even within the neighborhoods:

• In Manhattan, researchers counted approximately 1000 empty storefronts within a 59 square kilometer area resulting in 10-20% of vacant shops across this densely populated urban island.
• In one mid-sized Canadian city where I conducted my research, I counted over 20 vacancies within a 0.14 square kilometer downtown area where the overall vacancy rate was estimated at 7.5%.
• Chicago identified on average 11.5% vacant storefronts across the city with their south suburbs’ vacancies peaking at 21.8%.
• The UK has also seen a surge in their high streets store vacancies since 2015, with a national average of 10.3%.
• The rest of Europe is no exception.

Empty storefronts send a powerful, and negative, message to passers-by

Some cities, such as Melbourne, have experienced reductions in their downtown vacant rates but have observed more issues with suburban areas. A scan across 11 suburban retail strips uncovered a vacancy rate of 8.4% with the highest at nearly 17%.

Given a commonly cited 5% “acceptable” vacancy rate, it is not surprising that vacant shopping corridors are a growing worry of commercial experts, CPTED practitioners, and criminologists who study such matters.

We mapped downtown vacant properties to identify risky streets

REASONS BEHIND VACANCIES

Vacancies are not uniformly distributed across cities and suburbs for a number of reasons. Some include:

1. Cost of rent; many small independent shops can no longer afford expensive rents and instead give space to large chain stores and shops instead. This is especially problematic in more expensive parts of the cities and affluent suburbs. Landlords have been chastised for maintaining an empty storefront while waiting for affluent renters.
2. The post-recession rent bubble; to boost the economy following the 2008/09 recession, developers expanded commercial corridors resulting in over-supply of physical shops with highly-priced rent a few years later.
3. E-commerce or online shopping are blamed as the main culprit for closing brick and mortar shops. So-called dry retail businesses have seen a significant decrease, while food, beverage, fitness and service retail storefronts appear to be on the rise.

There are ways to minimize and mitigate vacant storefronts 

Other possible reasons for vacancies include rezoning, gentrification and shifting consumer preferences. Ultimately, vacant storefronts not only influence the economy, but they influence safety and social life. In short, when vacancies arise, conditions also arise for street crime and worsening fear.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

In our Third Generation CPTED article last year, we pinpoint the importance of social, economic, and environmental sustainability as protective factors against neighbourhood decline. Active local shops and robust local economies are paramount for a decent quality of life. This is a core principle of our vision of liveable 21st Century cities.

The next blog will explore how vacant storefronts impact crime and possible solutions for addressing them.

Life in the village - The high-level-needs gap

Future neighbourhoods need adaptive public spaces
that satisfy many needs

By Mateja Mihinjac

I had a fairly happy childhood. The suburban village my parents adopted as a family home offered the necessary amenities - two small grocery stores, a bakery, fresh produce store, kindergarten, primary school and a small library. And they were all within a ten-minute walk. We also had a home garden, we could play on the street and I was surrounded by the green fields and nearby hills that became my beloved recreational spots.

Most importantly, this was a safe neighbourhood.

However, as I grew older, my needs and wants also increased. Village life no longer satisfied my yearning for exploration, learning, working and socialising, and the surroundings and facilities felt outdated and bland. It was as if time in the village had stopped.

A poorly lit underpass and graffitied train station sends a message
to village residents - no one cares about this space!

THEORY OF HUMAN MOTIVATION

I later realized it was me who had outgrown the village. It continues to satisfy basic needs, but it hasn’t evolved. It has failed to adapt to the reality that, more than ever, humans strive for more than simply surviving and addressing our biological needs. We have higher-level psychological needs such as feelings of belonging, self-esteem and social connection. We have needs for personal growth and self-fulfilment. Abraham Maslow outlined this in the Theory of Human Motivation nearly 80 years ago.

Moreover, we crave a meaningful existence by being able to contribute to the experience of others. Maslow explained this highest level satisfaction in his later work using the term self-transcendence.

It should therefore not sound unusual or extraordinary for people to expect that their neighbourhood should offer a high quality of life by providing opportunities for realising those high-level needs.

Ample food choices in farmers markets and local stores
should offer healthy choices

THIRD GENERATION CPTED 

This is the message that Greg Saville and I convey in our recently published article Third Generation CPTED.

The main premise of our new theory is that for the highest quality of life, a 21st Century neighbourhood should offer more than minimum services and necessities. Good transport, proper sanitation, a healthy environment, ample food, adequate shelter, and local safety are critical, but not enough. Recreation opportunities and social activities too are necessary, but they still don't reach the highest level of motivational satisfaction. So residents drive away and abandon their neighbourhood to find something they cannot locate nearby.

Applying the Neighbourhood Liveability Hierarchy we propose that residents should be able to strive for more advanced opportunities to satisfy their highest needs, while all the basic and modest provisions exist in every place. Such an advanced neighbourhood planned in a holistic and strategic way will help it evolve to support the needs of its inhabitants.

A neighbourhood livability hierarchy for satisfying human needs

THE HUB 

In SafeGrowth we offer the hub concept as an epicentre for such developments under the ownership of neighbourhood residents.

The main premise of the concept is participatory democracy and decision-making potential of the residents who would continually assess and address neighbourhood needs thus help it maintain a high quality of life.

Our SafeGrowth advocate and friend Carlos Gutierrez has recently also offered a view of networked community-driven hubs in the violence-stricken nation of Honduras. His story is remarkable because it showcases how community-driven neighbourhood hubs drive local progress and offer opportunities for high-level needs, which concurrently aim to address violence and promote safety.

It's difficult to predict the shape of future urban design,
but it must include places of refuge, nature and positive social interaction

NEIGHBOURHOODS OF THE FUTURE

As our basic needs are met, we must create places that allow us opportunities to grow towards higher-level needs and uncover innovative and exciting ways to satisfy them. If we can’t find those opportunities in our living environment, we will look elsewhere and alienate ourselves from our neighbourhood and its inhabitants in the process.

Unfortunately, so many amenities are concentrated in large downtown centres, or in huge, disconnected retail box stores surrounded by acres of parking, that they restrict the opportunities for satisfying high-level needs in suburban areas like the village of my youth. The suburbs become places that excel in basic services and residential use, but where opportunities for self-actualization and transcendence are rare.

Our neighbourhoods must respond to the needs of 21st Century lifestyles and they need opportunities for their inhabitants to flourish in local life and participate in meaningful neighbourhood decision-making. Perhaps then, as neighbourhood attachment grows, residents will enjoy their neighbourhood not only because it’s their living environment but also because it helps them fulfil their potential.