Item B: Neighborhood Livability Working Group Report

Home Browse Search

Neighborhood Livability Working Group Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) Problem Description Burglaries, car break-ins, and late night disruptive behavior are three of the chronic problems in the university area neighborhoods. Significant contributing factors include: The high percentage of renters who often fail to secure their homes, cars or other property adequately. The high percentage of young adult residents, including those who party late into the night and demonstrate a lack of consideration for neighbors. A high percentage of temporary residents who lack a stake in the neighborhood or an awareness of who belongs in the neighborhood. A significant amount of substandard rental housing, with inadequate locks on windows and doors. Predictably empty housing during school breaks, which makes for easy burglary targets. More recently, violent behavior, possibly gang affiliated, primarily late in the evening. Each of these would be affected in different ways by different strategies. Basic Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) measures might help, but mostly as applied to individual homes and cars. Advanced CPTED measures focus on building social connectivity and are more applicable to neighborhood or community changes. Strategy Description Identify information and effective delivery methods that need to be conveyed to potential victims of crime. The evidence that we need this is that crimes keep occurring that might have been preventable if basic crime prevention measures had been implemented. Identify information and effective delivery methods that need to be conveyed to potential late night partiers. The evidence that we need this is that nuisance partying keeps occurring that might have been preventable if offenders had been convinced to behave in a more courteous fashion, either out of respect or out of fear of consequences. Identify areas that lack a central social gathering space within each neighborhood, or where they do exist identify ways to boost their viability for bringing residents together. The more residents meet each other, the more likely they are to demonstrate mutual respect and look out for welfare. Look for ways to encourage and empower residents to report suspicious activity, as well as criminal activity. Determine ways to reach and convince more landlords to raise the CPTED and hardware security ting requests for security inspections and advice. Determine ways to reach and convince more students to take security measures when they leave their homes unsupervised, as well as when their homes are left open to unscreened visitors (such as when one roommate throws a party). Identify locations where criminals can hide or where criminal behavior is hard to see. This might lead to suggested changes in physical design of a space, location of dumpsters, level and type of lighting, placement of windows or cameras, or design of fences, and could involve public or private property. Evaluate existing codes related to lighting, screening, etc., that may be contributing to the creation of unsafe spaces, and recommend changes. Related Goals/Policies Growth Management Policy 9: Mitigate the impacts of new and/or higher density housing, infill, and redevelopment on neighborhoods through design standards, open space and housing maintenance programs, and continuing historic preservation and neighborhood planning programs. West University Task Force recommendations (June 2003): More and/or improved lighting provide additional lighting fixtures in the area on both public and private property. 27 Page