Archive for the 'Portals for Discovery' Category
Play Me, I’m Yours
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?
2 commentsA Work of Art
Recently while conducting research I was fortunate enough to come across a great new initiative in the United States called the Carroll Avenue Quebec Terrace Project (CAQT). It was launched by Arts on the Block (AOB), an organization working to transform a community through art. Needless to say, I immediately left a comment on their blog and was contacted by their Executive Director a short time later. The result was a conference call to discuss their project in more detail and talk about how they have incorporated Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) into their plan.
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!
2 commentsCPTED Works Great But What’s Missing?
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?
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Radical Common Sense To Prevent Crime
Guest Feature by Greg Saville
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.
2 commentsCommunity Partnerships Help Reduce Crime
Recently, I completed a rather large Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) project. During this process, considerable research was required and several best practices were explored. If we are to become truly “engaged” in our communities and seek out new methods of crime reduction – we must explore other alternatives.
This reminds me in many ways of playing hiding-go-seek when I was a child. Often, there are other solutions and various programs that have been successful elsewhere. These gems are always exciting to find. However, implementation is an entirely different matter. This is not as simple as one might think, especially with our current economy and funding challenges. Roadblocks can come in many forms. It’s therefore essential that we find comprehensive, well-balanced and proactive solutions that work. The East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership is one such “gem”.
No comments2010 A New Odyssey
Happy New Year and all the very best to our readership and contributors. With another year ahead, we hope to provide some valuable insight and continue to share information and resources that promote Safe Communities & Neighbourhoods throughout the world. An odyssey can be defined as a voyage marked by many changes of fortune or an intellectual quest. This first blog posting for 2010 and the title I chose seem fitting as there is much more to learn about crime prevention and various issues that lead to crime and loss in our communities. Each and every one of us play an important role in crime reduction and improving community safety. What will your contribution for 2010 be?
Setting some realistic goals for the upcoming year is important, especially considering the current economic conditions. For example, the City of Red Deer has been taking a very responsible approach to their budget and will be holding the line! It’s going to be a tough budget, but it’s necessary and it will be for many other communities around the world. Sometimes, taking a hard line approach like this can be a good thing for everyone. It certainly demands creativity and hard work due to financial restraints and capacity issues surrounding staffing.
No commentsFear of Crime and Risk
This subject is nothing new and for crime prevention practitioners it’s always being discussed in various circles. It can quickly spread like a virus and is often what prompts the call for more police officers, CPTED assessments, target hardening measures, cameras, alarm systems and the list goes on. You can’t discuss the fear of crime without considering perception, something we wrote about last month.
The reality is that fear can get the best of us if we are not careful. It has the potential to “blur” reality and often does! However, the subject requires careful understanding, especially as it relates to victims of crime. For those of us that have been victimized, the fear of crime is very real and we need to appreciate that not everyone feels safe as a result. In many cities across North America, crime rates are down and the fear of crime is disproportionately high. Police services and crime prevention groups around the world are certainly exploring this issue carefully. Is your community suffering from fear of crime? Read more »
2 commentsThe Writing is on the Wall
Ogden Point - Victoria, BC
Recently, I attended The Anti Graffiti Symposium (TAGS) in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. Hosted by the Victoria Police Department and the Township of Esquimalt it proved to be an interesting couple of days with a variety of exceptional speakers, both local and International. The objective of the 2009 TAGS event was to educate law enforcement agencies, government, crime prevention professionals and the general public about issues of graffiti crime in their communities and to clarify some of the following questions about this type of vandalism: Who is doing it, what does it mean, how do we investigate it, how do we prevent and control it?
Speakers from as far away as Sweden and Australia joined other experts from various US cities and Canadian authorities from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to offer their insights on the subject. As a Crime Prevention practitioner specializing in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), it provided me with an abundance of information that can now be shared with my own community and others throughout Central Alberta. Read more »
1 commentPerception not Always Reality
Conducting various projects throughout the City of Red Deer I often find myself downtown. It’s an area of our city that I spend a lot of time in. It’s safe, vibrant and changing for the better! This is thanks to great people that make up our community.
Case in point, Mickey Warkentin, this month’s guest contributor for our blog. I first met Mickey earlier this summer while downtown having a bowl of soup at Potter’s Hands. No, I’m not homeless but I like to be inclusive and get to know other members of my community. This is something I highly recommend for anyone that doubts the potential we all have to change and become more accepting of ALL our neighbours … every single one of us.
Mickey is one of the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, Red Deer Chapter’s most giving and reliable volunteers. She has impacted our community in many ways and continues to shine bright, volunteering for organizations such as United Way of Central Alberta, Potter’s Hands Ministries, Canadian Mental Health Association, Crisis Pregnancy Care Centre, Women’s Emergency Shelter and more. Recently, I asked Mickey to share some of her insight as it relates to safety and crime prevention. Mickey writes:
4 commentsAre You a Community Builder?
Being a real Community Builder is not a difficult task for anyone to achieve and there are numerous ways of going about it. Whether you operate a small business such as I do or your a corporate giant, there are many ways of giving back to your community. Anyone can provide for their community – simply volunteer your time. It’s not always about money, it’s about community spirit.
Alberta Venture magazine is a resource I often refer to and glean information for my business. Their September issue provided a definitive report card on corporate Alberta. You know, the best of the best, the biggest deals, the largest employers and so on. It’s always interesting as well as informative. However, last weeks breakfast talk by Brett Wilson provided me with a new perspective on corporate wealth in our country and throughout the world. The event was hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Red Deer, another bright light in our own community.
When you look at Alberta Venture’s ranking of the Top 100 companies for 2009 and the revenues these corporations have generated, it’s nothing short of staggering. Yet, with all this wealth we still face big community issues such as crime, homelessness, addiction and poverty. The good news, as Brett pointed out, is that we all have choices and one of these is charitable giving. He described this as an opportunity,
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