Helping Create Safe Communities & Neighbourhoods

There is no doubt that Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is effective and that many communities are embracing it more today than ever before.  Although it’s methodology continues to evolve, there is often a few important things missing – Leadership, Social Planning and Community Support. It’s these things that make CPTED a recipe for success.  These ingredients help create safe communities and neighbourhoods that will be successfully transformed, empowered and better able to face adversity in an ever-changing human-made environment.  Without them, it gets a failing grade!

It’s always nice to brag about your own community and what’s great about it.  As a CPTED consultant living and working in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, we are on the right track.  Our municipality clearly understands CPTED and how it can benefit every resident and business owner.  However, this article is also about good leadership and those that support it.  It’s spring finally and this reminds me of a book my wife recently read called Let Your Life Speak, by Parker Palmer.  It’s a great little book that asks it’s readers to “Listen for the Voice of Vocation” in each of us. It reminded me of some of the leaders I have been working with during the past few years.  This list of names would be long but it’s clear that each of them are leaders in their vocations. I consider them more than simply colleagues, they are critical to my success as a CPTED practitioner.  They come from various city departments such as community services, social planning, licensing and inspections, parks, recreation, culture, planning services and the list goes on.  Various businesses, non-profit organizations, residents and certainly our local RCMP also play primary leadership roles in the successful implementation of CPTED.

There is no doubt in my mind that social planning plays a tremendous role in designing out crime and improving community safety.  For those that truly think traditional CPTED practices are a panacea for crime, they’re missing one of the key ingredients. Since last year, I have been privileged to participate in several important groups, one for high-risk youth and the other, a social marketing campaign for our homeless and other vulnerable community members. It has been a tremendous learning experience and I realize that the success of CPTED requires feedback and support from these groups and those we are helping.  I’ve been offered a unique opportunity to “see” the environments they work in and those people they are interacting with each and every day. We are not the only city pushing the envelope and challenging ourselves. Teens are taking to rebuilding communities all over the world.  Take for example the Build On Program and the dedicated teens serving their community in Detroit. For them, it’s all about giving back and trying to help create safe streets and neighbourhoods.

Finally, without community support various programs and new initiatives will never be successful, including CPTED. This is required at all levels and from all sectors.  I often say that “it’s not about how well we work alone, it’s about working together.  We are starting to hear a lot more about companies, big and small, stepping up to the plate and being more socially responsible.  For many of these companies, it’s helped create a shift in their way of thinking and how they conduct business.  They are not just considering their ROI, they are seriously embracing Social Return on Investment (SROI). I’m hoping that we all begin hearing more about SROI in the near future.  More importantly, let’s start practicing it.  Find your true vocation and ask yourself – What inspires you?

Filed under Community Crime Prevention, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, Portals for Discovery