Plan Fundamentals - Promote Safety

A sense of safety encourages people to congregate in and explore a downtown area. To make an area safer, places can focus on how the design of the space prevents crime and reduces car accidents.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED, is a framework focusing on using planning and design to minimize opportunities for crime to occur in specific places. Strategies can include:

Natural Surveillance

Installing lighting, clearing overgrown vegetation, and having buildings with entryways that are visible from the street all increase visibility to ensure that people moving through a space can see and be seen.

Natural Access Control

Fencing and landscaping differentiate public and private areas, discouraging trespassing.

Territorial Reinforcement

Converting vacant lots to vibrant spaces can send a message that a property is owned and cared for, making it less appealing or conducive for criminal activities.

Maintenance and Management

Areas that are cleaner and more well-maintained promote order, as well as attract people who plan to use the space for its intended purpose.

Complete Streets

Complete Streets focus on increasing safety for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. This strategy can improve a community’s health and safety through reducing motor vehicle injuries and fatalities and increasing physical activity through making walking safer.

Complete Streets changes depend on the needs of each road, but can include:

• Visible crosswalks
• Wider sidewalks
• Buffer zones
• Improved accessibility for wheelchair users
• Bicycle parking
• Speed limit adjustments
• Curb extensions
• Bike and bus lanes
• Recessed stop bars