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.

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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

For those adrenalin junkies this may sound like fun but the risk factor is right up there with entering a battle zone in some far off jungle wearing nothing but a “speedo” and a bright red tank top.  Yes, those entering the danger zone must sign waivers acknowledging that they could be taking their last bus ride. As an added precaution, organizers use an “unmarked” chartered coach.  Wow, I bet that provides a lot of comfort to those on tour. Take cover, there is more …

There is no doubt that many people are intrigued by the subject of gangs. For some of us, including police officers, community workers and various crime prevention practitioners we must possess a certain amount of knowledge on the issue. However, I trust that none of us are putting ourselves in the direct line of fire intentionally. This seems like common sense 101.  South LA is known as a breeding ground for some of the cities deadliest gangs, according to a recent article by ABC News. I wonder how long these tours will last once someone has been killed or seriously injured. Maybe they will start providing body armour on the tour or using bullet-proof glass on the bus.

It certainly seems like risky business to me.  However, the founder, Alfred Lomas, a former member of the Florencia 13 gang has probably “tapped” into something here. I hope he has considered a profit sharing initiative with his former colleagues and has invested in some good body armour for himself. It does make one think about the level of risk we are all willing to take … what’s yours?  SEE LA Gang Tours here.

I suppose we all have our favorite Christmas songs but for me this one never grows old.  As we quickly approach the holiday season let’s remember the less fortunate and all those that serve to protect us each and every day.

So here’s my lifelong wish
My grown up Christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Everyone would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up Christmas list

Merry Christmas To All

The RDC slogan is certainly thought provoking and after meeting some of the students from Sociology 325A earlier today, I was impressed.  I was invited by their instructor to speak on the subject of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).  It took me back to my college days when we had the privilege of having guest speakers come in and share their experience on various subjects.  I wondered how the class would react but it was quickly evident that the subject matter was of interest, what a relief.

My presentation highlighted the key principles of CPTED, also available on this site.  However, this class currently studying criminology received my pictorial version.  A picture paints a thousand words and in this case, photos can be a very powerful way of learning the impact CPTED can have on any physical space.  It was interesting to see some of the class reactions and there were some great questions raised by these upcoming professionals.

In one of the handouts I was given in preparation for my visit, an anonymous quote read “Crime, like disease, is not interesting; it is something to be done away with by general consent, and that is all about it.” I suggested that our mission should be to empower communities to reduce the incidence and fear of crime by supporting a proactive, comprehensive and sustainable approach to crime prevention.  These students will be the next generation of experts in professions such as sociology, criminology, policing, security and corrections.  Their future actions should not be underestimated and they do “understand” the important roles they will play.  I concluded with a quote from John F. Kennedy that reads “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”

Visit RDC at www.rdc.ab.ca

We’ve all seen him…we may even be him! There are enough keys hanging from his belt to ensure hip problems in later life and enough racket while walking to alert others within a five block radius that he is passing through. Each and every key has its vital role and must be available when needed…even if half of them haven’t been needed for months.

We’ve all seen one…we may even be in charge of one! A key box that when opened revels such a cluttered mess even Rain man could not count them all. Again, they are all of highest importance to the operation and must be in the box when needed…even if the keys you really need right now are somewhat elusive.

The worst case is this: you need a key now and yet it does not seem to be where it should be. Did I lose it myself? Did someone else take the key? You ask around but no one is admitting to having it. What to do? After all it is the master key to the warehouse. Of course you know what to do…re-key. Last time this happened it cost $3,800.00. That was only six months ago.

There is a solution! Key Systems Inc offers a range of key boxes with some unique and very clever features. First off, you may only open the door to the box by entering a unique PIN or by presenting an access control card. (If your organization already uses access control the card can work with the key box.) Second, once inside the box you will only be able to remove the key or keys you have been given access to. Of course the box logs when you open the door and also which key or keys you have removed. Once you return the keys that are also logged.

The boxes are networkable and report to a software program that can give an up to the moment inventory of all keys in the system and a report of who has the keys out and for how long. If a key has not been returned within a preset time period a flag can alert someone or even email the info.

The boxes come in sizes that include the “Swat Box”, a flush mounted box that pops open on an access grant and houses 1 or 2 keys or even an access card, up to a 96 key box. With that kind of range you could place the swat box at say, a mechanical room or storage room door and eliminate the need to carry that huge ring of keys everywhere. The key is where you need it when you need it! Or you could have a centralized box with 96 key positions. Each “key position” secures a tamperproof ring that contains one or more keys. You can group keys on a ring and release them all with proper access.

Because the boxes are networkable you can link as many as required and have them spread throughout a building, throughout many remote buildings or scattered around the world! All of this is controlled and reporting to the software. There are also some other neat features that may come in handy. Let’s say someone calls you on your Blackberry needing access to an area. Let’s say it is a special case that you are OK with. You can unlock the box and a required key from your Blackberry.

So there it is! You now have your keys under control and can rest easy knowing that you are saving money by not re-keying every time a key “vaporizes”. When you know where all keys are at any given time and are alerted if a key is “missing”, you know you finally have control of your security!

Protec Security Systems is a distributor for Key Systems Inc products.

protec01@telusplanet.net

www.keysystemsinc.com

(Gibran: Excerpt from “On Crime and Punishment”)  

Khalil Gibran

Complete version of “On Crime & Punishment” and other works from “The Prophet”