Factors to Consider in Creating Safe Parks
The design of a park or recreation area can have a direct impact
on people’s perceptions of safety and their willingness to use a
space. Designing a park for safety is based on what is generally
considered to be good design: it meets the needs of its users;
it is diverse and interesting; it connects people with place; and
it provides people with a positive image and experience. While
good design can create the preconditions for effective control the
following are areas to consider when evaluating the safety and
perception of safety of a park or recreation facility:
n Locate programmed activities near the park perimeter, beside
an entrance or along a main pedestrian path
n Locate food concessions at the park edge that serves both the
street and the park
n Make sure that activities in the park include a human
presence from early morning to evening
n Create programming and physical design of the park to
encourage use of the park during the evenings
n Develop activities beyond those for organized sports facilities
and playgrounds
n Offer a variety of tours or events that will encourage more
widespread use of parks and increase positive uses
Designers, operations, recreation staff and citizens all have a vital
role to play in creating safer park environments. The key factors
to consider when dealing with park safety issues are summarized
below:
n Perceptions that a park is unsafe are as important as actual
safety
n Involve users in the design or redesign of park spaces
n Clear and understandable signage helps enhance the feeling of
safety because it allows people to orient themselves
n Formal/informal surveillance or the extent to which activities
in parks can be observed by other people, is important for
reducing vandalism, inappropriate activities, and feelings of
isolation
n Lighting to enhance perceptions of safety, although this may
not reduce actual crime rates. Improved lighting and increased
legitimate activity allow for greater night time surveillance
n Clear sightlines which give the perception of actual safety
because people can see what is ahead and around them and if
other people are visible
n Physical access should be maximized by providing users with a
choice of legible routes to and from park areas
n Good maintenance is crucial to maintain perceptions that areas
are low risk. Vandalism can contribute to perceptions of fear
because litter, graffiti and broken furniture all suggest a place is
Urban parks can provide valuable recreation opportunities for the 70
percent of Americans who reside in cities (USDI 1978). Yet many existing
sites are underused, in part because they are often seen as undesirable, threat-
ening places where crimes frequently occur ('Jacobs 1961). This article de-
scribes an effort to identify characteristics that affect the user's perception of
personal safety in public recreation sites. The relation between perceived secu-
rity and visual attractiveness will also be addressed, because both factors may
be related to visibility in and utilization of park settings (Nasar 1982).
Factors to Consider in Creating Safe Parks
The design of a park or recreation area can have a direct impact
on people’s perceptions of safety and their willingness to use a
space. Designing a park for safety is based on what is generally
considered to be good design: it meets the needs of its users;
it is diverse and interesting; it connects people with place; and
it provides people with a positive image and experience. While
good design can create the preconditions for effective control the
following are areas to consider when evaluating the safety and
perception of safety of a park or recreation facility:
n Locate programmed activities near the park perimeter, beside
an entrance or along a main pedestrian path
n Locate food concessions at the park edge that serves both the
street and the park
n Make sure that activities in the park include a human
presence from early morning to evening
n Create programming and physical design of the park to
encourage use of the park during the evenings
n Develop activities beyond those for organized sports facilities
and playgrounds
n Offer a variety of tours or events that will encourage more
widespread use of parks and increase positive uses
Designers, operations, recreation staff and citizens all have a vital
role to play in creating safer park environments. The key factors
to consider when dealing with park safety issues are summarized
below:
n Perceptions that a park is unsafe are as important as actual
safety
n Involve users in the design or redesign of park spaces
n Clear and understandable signage helps enhance the feeling of
safety because it allows people to orient themselves
n Formal/informal surveillance or the extent to which activities
in parks can be observed by other people, is important for
reducing vandalism, inappropriate activities, and feelings of
isolation
n Lighting to enhance perceptions of safety, although this may
not reduce actual crime rates. Improved lighting and increased
legitimate activity allow for greater night time surveillance
n Clear sightlines which give the perception of actual safety
because people can see what is ahead and around them and if
other people are visible
n Physical access should be maximized by providing users with a
choice of legible routes to and from park areas
n Good maintenance is crucial to maintain perceptions that areas
are low risk. Vandalism can contribute to perceptions of fear
because litter, graffiti and broken furniture all suggest a place is
Urban parks can provide valuable recreation opportunities for the 70
percent of Americans who reside in cities (USDI 1978). Yet many existing
sites are underused, in part because they are often seen as undesirable, threat-
ening places where crimes frequently occur ('Jacobs 1961). This article de-
scribes an effort to identify characteristics that affect the user's perception of
personal safety in public recreation sites. The relation between perceived secu-
rity and visual attractiveness will also be addressed, because both factors may
be related to visibility in and utilization of park settings (Nasar 1982).
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