Archive for June, 2009
Building Strong Communities
No simple task, not in the insect world or in our own communities. It takes a lot work and on-going commitment from everyone involved. The key word is being “involved”! Just as honeybees work collectively so should we, building strong communities that will sustain us on a long-term basis. We want to feel safe and secure in our neighborhoods and the good news is … it’s achievable. Remember the film titled “Field of Dreams”? I’m reminded of the one liner – if you build it he will come. As a Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) practitioner, I’ve adapted this statement a bit – if you build it properly they will stay!
Webster’s dictionary defines “Community” as an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location. Interacting with our neighbors and striving for more cohesion among residents helps build strong communities. Today, we are more isolated, working more and more and socializing less and less. How many of us know our surrounding neighbors, especially if we reside in condos or apartments. It often seems like we are more interested in keeping up with the Jones’s rather than socializing with them. This brings us to another important question, our quality of life. The CPTED concept, coined by criminologist C. Ray Jeffery supports the idea that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime and to an improvement in the quality of life. Read more »
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