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What have we discovered about this theme? |
General Findings
The quality of the built environment plays an important role in the sense of community safety. Too often designing for safety means building walls and fences that inadvertently create spaces for anti-social behaviour. Many small towns are recognising the benefits of good quality design (see ‘Built Heritage’ and ‘Housing’ components). By considering the varying ways in which people are able to use places and spaces, local practitioners can work to enhance the overall sense of place. This has proven over time to be more effective at increasing the overall sense of safety than trying to design people out of spaces.
Recognising varying uses of community facilities is also an important part of enhancing the sense of space. Ensuring that a community has all the necessary facilities for normal day-to-day living helps to build social ties and a strong sense of identity. Small towns sometimes, however, do not have the critical mass to deliver community facilities and end up being simply places to live. Some towns help fund their community facilities by having a tariff on new development (see ‘Housing’ theme).
The voluntary sector can play an important role in both improving community safety and retaining community facilities through volunteer schemes to survey areas, share information, run facilities such as crèche schemes and sports events, deliver skills and learning courses, and manage open space and create community gardens.
Essential Aspects
Whilst having employment is a crucial factor in community well being, the most important aspect of this theme is to recognise the inter-dependence of the quality of the community facilities on the levels of community safety. The two aspects are not isolated. If implemented successfully, community facilities can strengthen the sense of inclusive community, thus reducing the levels of anti-social behaviour (see ‘Jobs and Employment’ and ‘Equal Opportunity and Inclusion’ components).
A strong sense of safety will encourage more people to utilise community facilities and services. For example, using school facilities for adult classes or evening football games will reduce levels of vandalism and crime on school grounds.
Each of the following case studies demonstrates the importance of this link between community safety and facilities.
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