Lorne Daniel leading Jane's Walk group in Downtown Red Deer

There was no shortage of events focusing on the importance of Crime Prevention and Safe Communities this month. Its been great and very exciting to be an active participant. Alberta Crime Prevention week was held from May 8 – 14 and I was honoured to serve on the selection committee, helping identify this years recipients for the 20th Annual Crime Prevention Awards. There was 9 awards received by various community organizations, police members, community groups collaborating with police, the media and two individuals. You will be able to get all the details soon by visiting the Alberta Solicitor General & Public Security online where you will find photos and bios on all the award winners this year. Kudos to our government and to the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association for a job well done!

Crime prevention and community safety were also front and center locally, right here in the beautiful city of Red Deer, Alberta. There were several events and some very informative newspaper features in both the Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer Express for Crime Prevention Week. Subjects ranged from modern crime prevention looking to the root of the problem to our local RCMP Community Response Unit contributing to crime prevention in Red Deer’s downtown. However, the highlight for me was organizing a special event with my friend Lorne Daniel, for our cities first Jane’s Walk.

On Saturday, May 7th, Lorne and I lead two separate walks for the event, one in the morning and another mid-afternoon stroll. Both were fairly well attended, especially considering it was our first year organizing the walks. We had a good cross-section of people joining us, including Mayor Morris Flewwelling, City Councillor Paul Harris, several planners, citizens and even a project manager from Williams Engineering. The two themes we chose can be found at Jane’s Walk, along with a host of information on Jane Jacobs and the legacy she has left for all of us.

It’s amazing how many people actually got out and walked this year. At Jane’s Walk HQ, they recently reported that there has been significant growth! Here are some of the numbers as of May 25th: 511 tours around the world in 75 cities (36 cities in Canada) – yeah Red Deer, Alberta. Almost 20,000 people around the world participated on a Jane’s Walk on May 7 & 8, almost a 40% increase from last year. It was an incredible experience with Lorne and I getting some great feedback from those that joined us that cold, windy day. Now, we just have to walk the walk, so to speak and get ready for 2012.

Local Red Deer artist Amy Braun preparing the Ross Street Piano

Red Deer Advocate staff photographer Natasha Schmale snaps a great photo in preparation of the summer arrival of the Ross Street Piano on the streets of downtown Red Deer, next Wednesday. The piano made its first appearance last July when my friends and family contributed to its purchase for my 50th birthday. Some restoration work by A&J Piano and Tuning was required and then I gifted the instrument back to our community.

Crime prevention you ask – you bet

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design practitioners understand the benefits of creating safe streets and the types of activity that encourage positive interaction in our public spaces. Local residents, people at-risk, musicians and other passers-by sat down last summer to play a tune or just listen to the music. It was certainly music for my ears.

If you live in this neck of the woods or looking for a great day trip, come join us in Red Deer.  Musicians Randi Boulton, Carl Stretton and Paeton Cameron will be joining many others and performing around the piano during the lunch hour, on June 1st. The Ross Street Piano will be located for your enjoyment in front of the Thai Garden Restaurant located at 4916 Ross Street from June 1st through August 2011.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO SHARE IN SOME GREAT MUSIC AND THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY

In the mid-90′s we referred to them as young offenders or youth in conflict with the law.  Working as a correctional officer at a boot camp in the mountains near Nordegg, Alberta, I experienced first hand many boys heading down a destructive path with no future.  Some of my co-workers use to say “once a criminal, always a criminal.”  As a part-timer I challenged their belief and spent many hours reading files and then trying to make that connection, hoping to get through to just one of these young boys.  Unfortunately, it didn’t happen often, but when it did it was magical.  Often it was simply a case of listening and not always talking.

Rick Osborne is certainly no stranger to drugs, violence and gangs.  He experienced this first-hand and is now trying to make a difference by sharing his knowledge and moving youth in the right direction, as he says in his video titled “The Big Lie”, Part I.  Truth for Teens is all about moving in the right direction and closing the door to criminal behaviour.  As crime prevention practitioners we often try to reduce the opportunities for crime and loss and this is a proactive example.  Osborne says “talk to the kids” and remove them from unsafe environments and move them into a position of safety.  This is also a common goal in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), but it’s done differently.  Timothy Crowe writes in his book titled “Crime Prevention through Environmental Design”, that by placing reasonably safe activities in problem areas, it will attract legitimate users and help displace undesirable activity.

Our youth are and always will be an essential part of our community and our future.  In fact, they are our future! How will you reach out and lend a helping hand?

Reaching out to one another is a great way of ensuring success in every community, even our on-line community.  I think it’s important to remind everyone that this was the reason for creating this blog back in 2008.  So, in the true spirit of community I’m challenging all of our subscribers and visitors to ENGAGE with us throughout the year.  This blog is really about collaboration and sharing information and resources from around the world.  You can easily submit a Guest Feature by sending us an email with your idea or simply providing feedback on the features that appear monthly.

So, what’s new since leaving the starting line this year?  A number of discussions and meetings with other crime prevention colleagues specializing in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) has helped create new alliances for 2011.  Last year there were discussions among some of us to start collaborating more and meeting as a group.  This spring a number of practitioners will meet in the City of Red Deer to conduct a walk-a-bout in various neighbourhoods to share valuable insight and expertise.  The idea is to do this every other month in different communities around Alberta.  So far, those agreeing to this are Greg Smith from Urban Security Innovation in Edmonton, Gerry Bailey, a CPTED Specialist for the Calgary Police Service and Barry Davidson, the Executive Director of the International CPTED Association.  Yes, there’s more …

The Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association (ACCPA) is another dynamic group that merits our attention.  ACCPA is in the midst of developing some new alliances as well, including one with Mount Royal University.  The association has some great plans for the upcoming year and a very strong board of directors.  Stay up to date on crime prevention news and events by bookmarking their website today.  As the custodians and stake-holders of our communities we should also be following the great work of our provincial government in relation to the new Alberta Gang Reduction Strategy.  This new site allows Albertans to educate themselves on a serious issue that threatens community safety and demands our attention.

Last but not least, I can’t say enough about various individuals, groups, businesses and corporations that are showing more Social Responsibility and stepping up to the plate.  One such organization is Williams Engineering (WE), a company I started working closely with last year.  WE serves as a great example of how businesses can be more involved in making a difference beyond the communities they generally serve.  In the March 2010 issue of the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce publication titled “We Mean Business”, Wayne Gustafson from Williams Engineering addresses the importance of Helping in Haiti.  In an excerpt from that article it indicates that “While the Haitian tragedy no longer dominates the headlines, it hasn’t diminished in the eyes of a Red Deer firm.  Wayne Gustafson said “Our goal is to help Haiti build companies that can continue building the country, he said, adding that visiting the devastated country was a life-changing experience.  It only seems fitting that I leave you with 3 great words that help drive their corporate culture  - Engage. Innovate. Inspire.

Wishing Everyone a Happy & Safe 2011,

Steve Woolrich

Jane Jacobs once wrote “you don’t really get a clear picture until you get out of theory-land and get into the street for a closer look.”  That is exactly what Kelly Moslenko, a student at RDC got to do this fall.

I feel as though I came into this experience very naive and skeptical to the concept of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). To begin with my knowledge of crimes, criminals, and why people commit crimes was very basic so the idea of being able to deter criminals with changing the surrounding environment seemed very unrealistic to me. However, after a combination of volunteer sessions with Steve, a very informative seminar and a well detailed criminology class my viewpoint has drastically changed. I was introduced to various theories and concepts throughout the term that try to make sense of and solve criminal behavior but the theory and the concept that influenced me the most was the rational choice theory and CPTED. The rational choice theory suggests that criminal behavior is the result of rational, conscious decision making made by the individual. The individual weighs the consequences of the criminal act and they make their decision to offend based on the target, the risk of getting caught, and the environment. CPTED also believes that it is the individual that makes the conscious decision to offend which is why this concept works. If you can alter the environment to increase the risks associated with committing a crime in that area, you can change a person’s decision to follow through with the act. I was fortunate enough to witness the practical application of each of the CPTED principles which only further enhanced my understanding and acceptance of the concept.. This is why I believe CPTED is an effective crime prevention strategy because you are ultimately altering a criminal’s decision to offend by simply changing the environment.

I had to come to the realization that there is never going to be a single solution in the fight against crime which is an expectation that I believe so many of us hold. We want a single immediate solution that will completely eliminate crime and too often we rely on our governments and police to fulfill this desire. After my experience with CPTED I came to recognize what we as individuals could do to be proactive in the fight against crime. CPTED is a proactive approach to preventing crime that has the potential of producing immediate and significant results. We, as a society, need to open our minds and understand that there are other means that can be effective in the fight against crime and it is important that we educate ourselves with them. I feel very fortunate that I was able to have this experience as I gained valuable knowledge that I will continue to study and apply in the future. I want to thank Steve Woolrich for this opportunity and providing me with a comprehensive understanding of the principles behind and the practical applications of CPTED.

Kelly Moslenko

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of election candidates and other City officials in Red Deer. The event was organized by the Red Deer & District Community Foundation to kick off the launch of their 2010 Vital Signs Report. This organization continues to truly demonstrate how to Care, Connect and Commit and is a “community catalyst” on issues that matter. The top 3 issues in this years report were Poverty/Homelessness/Hunger, Health Care and Crime/Law & Order.

An excerpt from my talk:

Today, I want to focus on the good because all too often we get caught up on the bad or the ugly. Our city is full of vitality, it’s healthy, safe and we enjoy a great quality of life here.

There are far to many good (great) things going on in our city to discuss all of them today. Here are a few highlights that stand out for me as a crime prevention practitioner living and working here and throughout Central Alberta.

Obviously, the continued use of CPTED in our city. It’s a best practice that focuses on reducing the fear and incidence of crime and improving quality of life through proper design and effective use of the built environment. The City of Red Deer and local RCMP utilize CPTED frequently throughout the various neighbourhoods in Red Deer, not just Downtown! It’s used around the world and although it’s not the silver bullet we all might hope for, it is helping us create Safe Growth and Safer Spaces throughout our community.

Neighbourhood Watch & Citizens on Patrol continue to provide residents with more “Eyes and Ears” throughout our city.  Initiatives such as this help us become more diligent and heighten our awareness on the subject of crime prevention and community safety.

Town Hall Meetings help us build relationships with residents around Red Deer and it gives the RCMP and people like myself an opportunity to truly “connect” with neighbourhoods and listen to concerns.  It also allows us to provide timely information and build awareness about how important their roles are in our community.

Community Partnerships continue to grow and although we are still recovering from a poor economy, various people and agencies in our city continue to work together, despite some of the hardships such as funding and capacity issues.

Finally, I want to talk about PEOPLE.  If we are looking for the best recipe for success, it will be found in the relationships we establish.  Firstly, in our own home, then with neighbours and friends and finally with those we work with and interact with in our community.  People make the difference!

I have been involved in the We Care project from it’s inception and yes, there is no doubt that “We Care”.  However, we need to “CONNECT.”

Jane Jocobs once wrote “You don’t really get a clear picture until you get out of theory-land and get into the street for a closer look.”

I suspect that some of you have attempted this and residents as well.  However, for the most part many people don’t.  They go about their business daily and rarely make these “connections” with those they are often critical of.

To really understand, we need to challenge ourselves every day!

We need to do more than just CARE, we need to CONNECT and COMMIT!

Those of us that are truly passionate about community safety and preventing crime are “dedicated” and we realize that this is not a part-time “gig” – We are “action” oriented and in it for the long haul.

I challenge each of you here today.

What will you do to make our community safer and prevent crime?

Remember, it’s not always about politics, spending more money or hiring more Police Officers – it’s often about little things that can make a big difference.

Each and every one of us has a responsibility here and now – this is our city!  GET INSPIRED!

Do you really think putting a piano on Ross Street was simply about music?

CARE, CONNECT AND COMMIT – now that’s music to my ears!

]]> http://targetcrime.ca/2010/10/16/care-connect-and-commit/feed/ 0 http://targetcrime.ca/2010/06/21/play-me-im-yours/ http://targetcrime.ca/2010/06/21/play-me-im-yours/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:35:13 +0000 admin http://targetcrime.ca/?p=624

Piano in the Bronx - New York City

Recently, I have spoken in two small Central Alberta Communities about Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).  During these presentations, it’s difficult not to address more than just the “traditional” principles and talk about a more holistic solution – 2nd Generation CPTED. Today, marked the launch of a two-week project in New York, which will feature 60 public pianos in locations throughout their five boroughs. This initiative was started by artist Luke Jerram.

For those of us that practice CPTED, we know that projects such as this create more Activity Support on the street and bring life to our public spaces. It can be powerful and inspiring to see our streets be totally transformed as a result of  music.  However, there is a lot more to this than meets the ear.

Events such as this help break down barriers and musicians can truly interact with local residents and visitors. As people gather in these public spaces, they begin to listen to something that is truly “universal” in nature – MUSIC. Few of us can say that we don’t enjoy some form of music and it’s therapeutic benefits. As people listen, they begin to interact with one another. It might be a familiar melody that everyone recognizes as they sing along or simply a quick comment to the person standing next to them. One thing is certain, when crowds gather around they are enjoying more than just music, they are capturing a moment together in time and space. There is often laughter and people generally feel safe and relaxed in these settings.  It’s projects such as this that engage us and as the Sing for Hope slogan indicates, it’s “Arts Activism in Action”.

CPR Railway Bridge - Red Deer, Alberta

In 2008, I conducted a CPTED Assessment of the CPR Bridge and the surrounding park spaces. During many site visits both day and night, I came to enjoy this public space and still frequently walk this neighbourhood, enjoying it’s diversity. As part of my work, I have the pleasure of studying various environments and making recommendations that are based on good CPTED practices.

When these recommendations are considered and change occurs it’s exciting and they can transform a space. The City of Red Deer has been instrumental in supporting CPTED and continues to do so. Recommendations were made to increase Activity Support by celebrating this beautiful space and using it for art and cultural activities. Now, on July 2nd, Red Deer residents will be able to enjoy a special event called “Blues on the Bridge”.  If weather is not cooperative, the back-up date will be Friday, July 9th.  For more details contact BIG 105.5 FM or 106.7 The Drive.

The question I would pose to every community, to every resident and business owner is this – What are you doing to CREATE – INSPIRE – INTEGRATE & ENLIVEN your community?

The CAQT will be creating art to improve safety and promote community pride in a neighbourhood plagued with crime, gangs, and drug dealing. AOB’s 20 apprentices are working with CAQT residents and a team of experts in art, design, crime prevention, and community development to create temporary and public art projects that will enhance the quality of life for hundreds of families.

Now, if that doesn’t sound like 2nd Generation CPTED at its best, you had better read further. The CAQT Community Centre is a community-based program centre of YMCA Youth and Family Services (YFS). The centre was established over 18 years ago to address the urgent needs of the underserved and ethnically diverse community in eastern Silver Spring, Maryland. The community centre is a safe haven for youth and families, and YFS provides an emergency food pantry, homework assistance for children, and a variety of adult services.

For those of us that are seeking out new ideas and embracing social development alternatives that can have an impact in our communities, the CAQT will be well worth following. On the home front, remember that we have our own success stories.  Find out more by visiting the CAQT Blog where I recently contributed a guest feature. Finally, don’t forget that the Annual Red Deer Artwalk Festival happens the middle of June.  Artwalk showcases local artists working at various venues, offers an evening of gallery hopping, a film event and a whole day festival with live music, extensive Art Market and FUN!

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?

Some of those same people, once home from New York and Paris and Montreal and Vancouver, fail to see the potential in their own home town. Back in the day-to-day grind of going to work, taking kids to school, and meeting obligations, it’s easy to revert to thinking just about one’s own home and a handful of key destinations in the community.

Steve asked me to contribute some thoughts to this blog because he knows that I’m passionate about great streets. I believe that great communities are created, for the most part, in the public sphere – outdoor spaces and common spaces where we interact with one another.

This involves the design of buildings, streets, parks and other spaces. Watch how streets work and notice how they encourage or discourage behaviors. CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) of course looks at design that discourages criminal behavior – avoiding hiding places, keeping areas lit and so on.

But beyond discouraging criminals, it’s interesting to notice how much our physical environment influences our everyday behavior, often without us being consciously aware of its influence. One downtown retail specialist I heard at a conference noted how our shopping behavior is influenced by blank or empty spaces. If we are browsing down a retail street, window shopping and popping in here and there, and come upon either a large building with blank walls or an empty space (including parking lots), we instinctively reverse direction. We have subconsciously decided that it’s not worth our effort, or perhaps a little risky, to leave the cluster of retail shops in hopes that there might be more beyond the blank spaces.

So successful urban design is a complex and subtle art. But we know that in addition to structural design, the planning and encouraging of street activity is important.  We are safe, and we feel safe, when we are surrounded by others.

I love the stuff that community activists are doing at www.livablestreets.com. Their focus is on all the potential constructive activities that can happen on well designed streets – streets that not only move cars but encourage people to walk, shop, stop to talk to one another, sit and people-watch or watch performers.

Another positive approach to development is Appreciative Inquiry – an approach that helps groups of people focus on creating their ideal future.  The key here is creating – not complaining, attacking, or ‘going to war’ against this problem or that. A war mentality and language will give you just that – war.

I like Steve’s approach on this blog site: “helping create safe communities and neighbourhoods.”  They key word there, I think, is “create.”

Safe and healthy communities are creative places – where kids, adults, and seniors are all engaged in doing great things.  Did you know that the presence of children’s chalk art on a city street slows cars?  I was reminded of this while walking down a street in Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood, where I live part-time.  There in the middle of the street were a bunch of kids’ chalk drawings, along with a message “slow down, children at play” – in chalk.

The kids in that neighbourhood are safer in their streets because they live in them – they don’t fear them and stay locked up in “safety” indoors.

I am also encouraged by the potential for social media – Facebook, Twitter and many others – to contribute to our sense of community. Contrary to what many would assume, much social media activity online actually involves discussion about our face-to-face communities – that ‘real world’ out there on our streets and in our parks.

So the answers to community safety, in my mind, start with active, engaged citizens who care enough to interact with one another in public spaces – and work to design those spaces so that they encourage, rather than discourage, community life.

_ _ _

Lorne Daniel is a writer, communications consultant and strategic planner whose work (www.grandviewconsulting.com) has won awards from the Canadian Institute of Planners and International Downtown Association. You can subscribe to his blog at www.lornedaniel.com and follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LorneDaniel

When Steve asked me to contribute to this blog a line from a famous play came to mind. With apologies to Skakespeare: If our prevention cause is just and our method of achieving it honorable, “methinks I could not die anywhere so contented as in the king’s company”. Steve will no doubt shudder at being prevention king. But I think he’ll agree with my message. It is called SafeGrowth.

It boils down to this:

1. There is a cloud of confusion obstructing clear-headed thinking when it comes to crime. We must deal with facts, not ideology.
2. We cannot arrest, imprison, or target harden our way out of crime.
3. There is no point in creating a safe physical place if people are disengaged from community life.
4. Crime is best tackled in the neighbourhood by harnessing the creativity and energy of neighbourhood dwellers and functional neighbourhood groups.

SafeGrowth relates to an idea rediscovered by writer Jane Jacobs – the success of a city is based in small neighbourhoods. It includes success in reducing crime.

In SafeGrowth neighbours create their own annual, measurable, safety plan. Every SafeGrowth plan uses diagnostic techniques: a crime risk matrix, crime mapping and asset mapping, safety audits, and other methods of crime prevention science.

Putting SafeGrowth into practice is not easy. How do we get neighbourhoods activated? Who wants to go to more meetings? Why can’t the police just do their job? These are the obstacles we must overcome.

One way to do that is to use radical common sense.
http://safe-growth.blogspot.com/2009/08/radical-common-sense.html

This is the idea that we cannot solve our deepest problems through traditional ways. This means accepting the criminal justice system as an adversarial, blunt tool. Instead our future exists in cooperating, sharing best practices, and accepting that our fate is tied to that of others.

Also, we must vote for provincial and federal leaders who will better resource municipalities. In turn, municipalities must refine, or create, a network of geographical neighbourhoods. They must upskill neighbourhood groups to develop annual safety plans in cooperation with service providers.

Embryonic SafeGrowth neighbourhoods are already underway in Toronto’s Jane/Finch,
http://safe-growth.blogspot.com/2009/06/waking-up-to-21st-century-prevention.html

in Saskatoon,
http://safe-growth.blogspot.com/2009/05/doin-it-right-on-wrong-side-of-town.html

and Detroit’s Central Woodward neighbourhood in the U.S.
http://www.detroit-lisc.org/display.aspx?pointer=9122

This is radical common sense in the 21st Century. Join Steve and myself in helping make this happen where you live and work.