SAFEGROWTH INSPIRE NEIGHBORHOOD FUTURES
  • ABOUT
    • What is SafeGrowth? >
      • SafeGrowth language
    • What we can do
    • Summits & Search Conferences >
      • 2017 Calgary
      • 2016 New Orleans >
        • Event Photos
      • 2016 Sacramento >
        • Event Photos
      • 2015 Canmore >
        • Event Photos
    • Media >
      • Video
      • In the news
    • Likeminded
    • Friends of SafeGrowth
  • RESOURCES
    • SafeGrowth theory >
      • What makes great neighborhoods?
      • Four tenets
      • Recommended readings
    • SafeGrowth documents
    • SafeGrowth presentations
    • Video
    • TED-Ed
    • Publications
  • BLOG
  • ADVOCATES
  • TOOLKIT (MEMBERS ONLY)
    • Risk assessment >
      • RA Categories
      • RA Matrix
    • Report guidance >
      • Report structure
      • Sample reports
    • Readings for download
    • Glossary
  • CONTACT

SAFEGROWTH® BLOG

GLASS HALF FULL - ASSET MAPPING

12/4/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Community-based asset mapping in Hollygrove, New Orleans - photo by Claire Vancauwemberge

​by Mateja Mihinjac

I recently read John McKnight’s 1995 book The Careless Society: The Community and its Counterfeits. It reminded me of the vital importance in what we term vision-based asset mapping in our SafeGrowth work.

McKnight shows how elevating community capacities, rather than focusing on community deficiencies, can mitigate the many threats to community life that stem from a forest of unfocused and inefficient social services.

​
THE SOCIAL SERVICE INDUSTRY 

The book’s core premise of “a glass half full” explains why systems of professionalized social services embedded within our daily lives fail to generate authentic citizen communities that care. As we teach in SafeGrowth, building cohesion in troubled communities is difficult when residents don’t care, or when they expect other organizations to solve local problems with no local involvement.
Picture
Public exercise area for nearby apartments - fitness assets for everyone

​The issue McKnight sees with communities surrendering their power to the social service system is the assumption that communities are not able to identify their problems and solve them on their own, or with the assistance of others.

Thus starts the dependency-creating cycle that external service providers propagate. Then, as service professionals present themselves as experts with a suite of solutions to proposed problems, they often justify their own raison d’être while contributing little to positive change in the communities that have become dependent on them.
Picture
Asset mapping can reveal empty lots ideal for building community gardens

​All this generates negative side effects and leads to a disabled citizenry and weakened community ties resulting in a loss in local capacity to self-organize. In effect, says McKnight, we become surrounded by community services but isolated from the community.

This does not mean that social services and others offer no value. However, communities need to themselves identify these services as useful and thus become active, rather than passive, actors in the life of their community.


​VISION-BASED ASSET MAPPING

McKnight offers asset mapping as a tool for empowering communities and building capacity.

In our SafeGrowth work we help residents tap into the neighborhood resources to realize whatever vision they create to resolve problems within their neighborhood. We use this neighborhood social analysis as an important part of visioning and problem identification.
Picture
Some SafeGrowth teams employ GPS mapping software

​However, unlike McKnight’s broad scan, we tailor our approach into vision-based asset mapping - tailoring assets toward a specific vision for that problem. This step is repeated for different areas gradually building a repertoire of assets for the entire neighborhood. Neighbors themselves learn not only much more about local gifts for capacity-building right at their fingertips, but they learn how to use them for problem-solving.

The vision-based asset mapping approach empowers residents to become active in solving neighborhood problems. At the same time, they choose what social services to summon and reduce their dependency on external service providers.
0 Comments

CYCLING THE BIG APPLE - I WANT TO RIDE MY BIKE!

21/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Biking Manhattan - A scary proposition without proper design

by Mateja Mihinjac

During my recent visit to New York City, I was thrilled to witness the upsurge in cycling in this iconic city. As an avid cyclist, I love when cities provide infrastructure for bipedal commute.

Promoting physical and social connections through design, such as increased bike usage, fosters interaction and establishment of social ties. In SafeGrowth we know that this also influences safety and perception of safety.

New York City, the metropolis well known for its traffic congestion and yellow cabs, has followed the lead of several European and Australian cities and in the past decade expanded its cycling infrastructure. Cycling in the city has since 2005 increased by an astounding 260%, currently amounting to 450,000 daily trips.

In 2013, the city also introduced the nation’s largest bike sharing program Citi Bike, which currently offers 603 bike stations and 10.000 bikes across the city’s five boroughs. These bikes are extensively used by city dwellers and tourists alike.
Exploring Manhattan on a bike

​CYCLING FOR HAPPINESS?

Replacing motorised commute with biking impacts health and social connectedness, two of the three most important contributors to happiness in urban environments.

Moreover, planning for environmentally sustainable cities that prioritize cycling and walking is intrinsically linked to socially cohesive communities.
Picture
603 bike stations and 450,000 daily bike trips across New York City

​IMPROVING CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE

Talking to locals revealed that despite great progress, cycling infrastructure could benefit from several improvements. The first was more bike lanes and Citi Bike stations outside downtown and affluent areas, a common need in other cities.

Ironically, those living on the peripheries of the cities and those less prosperous are the ones who would most benefit from biking connectivity.

The second issue concerns safety. A 2015 article reported 90% of bike lanes in New York City were unprotected, meaning the majority were lanes without a safety buffer between cyclists and cars. This is surprising knowing that protected bike lanes can reduce the risk of injury by 90% and also increase ridership.
Picture
Buffered bike lanes are a necessity for safety

​CYCLING FOR CITIES OF TOMORROW

Promoting cycling in progressive cities like New York is an excellent avenue for developing environmentally and socially sustainable cities. Planners should encourage future expansions of bike infrastructure in less affluent areas and designers must follow guidelines for safety and buffered lanes.

Designing future cities around cycling will contribute to overall healthier and happier cities.
0 Comments

CONNECTING IN THIRD PLACES

17/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Australian hostels truly get how to do third places

By Tarah Hodgkinson 

One of the main tenets of SafeGrowth is social cohesion. I recently spent a few weeks in Australia as part of a conference and research trip. During this trip, I spent some time in hostels on the east coast of the country. I was reminded of the importance of shared spaces or third places and their role in encouraging social cohesion.

Third place is a term coined by Ray Oldenberg in his book The Great Good Place. Oldenberg claims that we have three places:

  • The ‘first place’ is the home, shared with those who live in the home. 
  • The ‘second place’ is the workplace. These places are where we spend the most time. 
  • The ‘third place’ then is the place where we find community and social life. He argues these third places are the anchors of community and social engagement. 

​
COFFEE SHOPS - MORE THAN COFFEE

Examples of the third place include local coffee shops, pubs, rec centers, barber shops, farmers' markets, community gardens and other places where people can come together, meet and socialize.

Third places are more than just a location outside of work and home to congregate. These places must have certain characteristics in order to become a third place. They should be neutral (no one has claim over them), they should be leveling (no one social status matters more), they should be free or inexpensive, they should be accessible to everyone, there should be regular faces and they should promote conversation over everything else.

Australian hostels get how to do third places. They boast numerous shared spaces including shared kitchens, recreation rooms, seating areas, computer areas and cheap cafes. This is ideal for the traveler trying to connect with others.
Picture
Gardens and parks - third places with flowers

This is vastly different than hostels in Canada and some in Europe, that operate more as a hotel, where the only shared spaces are bars and restaurants, which are not only costly but don’t encourage natural conversation.

What can Australian hostels teach us about community engagement? Oldenburg claims third places are the center of civic engagement and civil society and necessitate the steps of social change. They do so because they allow people to come together, to share ideas, discuss issues and mobilize for change.

When I stayed in hostels that had third places, I met fellow travelers with ease, learned about fun, entertainment hot spots and made friends, many of whom I am still in contact with. This did not happen in the hotel-like hostels. In neighborhoods, third places trigger social engagement and cohesion and this is the beginning of how we start changing neighborhoods for the better.
0 Comments

I AM

22/4/2012

0 Comments

 
Much to my surprise, I just realized this SafeGrowth blog is now three years old. I have spent little time on philosophy. But If I did, this is how it would go…

Some tell me homelessness has no place in CPTED. Some say you can design out crime and ignore politics, policing, or broken communities. Others want details on CCTV, graffiti-removal and lighting but nothing on privacy, street art and a beautiful starry night.

 I disagree.

I just watched Tom Shadyac's documentary, I AM. It's a personal story about the science of connection and unity. Shadyac is the most unlikely storyteller having directed The Nutty Professor and Ace Ventura. Then a bike crash left him for dead. He didn't die. Instead he had one of those awakening moments and I AM was born.

I AM's mission is a global trek to discover what is wrong in the world and what we can do about it. It is named after philosopher G.K. Chesterton's idea. When asked to write an essay to summarize what was wrong with the world, Chesterton wrote: I am.

Other films of this ilk turn flakey and saccharine. Not Shadyac. He interviews luminaries like business guru Margaret Wheatley, archbishop Desmond Tutu, philosopher Noam Chomsky, environmentalist David Suzuki, historian Howard Zinn.

With game-changing elections now underway in the US, France, and Mexico, I AM is timely. As Zinn says, in times of rapid change, homelessness, environmental crisis and violence you cannot stay neutral on a moving train.


COLLABORATION IS IN OUR DNA

I AM shone brightest in the science on connection and unity, particularly how the new biology reveals collaboration as the rule of nature. Nature, it was once thought, is a process of competition and conflict. The early ecology of crime theories suggested that too (gangs fighting for turf). But modern ecology has moved beyond. I AM shows while competition happens, it isn't inevitable and it certainly isn't natural.

Connection and collaboration is in our DNA. Mixed land uses and social spaces do that. Well designed communal places like Portland's Intersection Repair does that too. Gated communities and target hardening does not.

Even if we must occasionally put up a fence or camera, I AM reminds us...starry nights matter.
0 Comments
<<Previous

    AUTHORS

    Gregory Saville
    Mateja Mihinjac

    Tarah Hodgkinson


    CATEGORIES

    All
    Art
    CCTV
    Change Agent
    Civility
    Community Building
    Community Empowerment
    Community Engagement
    Community Safety
    Connectivity
    CPTED
    Creativity
    Culture
    Defensible Space
    Design Out Crime
    Diversity
    Ethics
    Evidence-based
    Eyes On The Street
    Fear Of Crime
    Graffiti
    Health
    Homelessness
    Human Scale Design
    Inclusiveness
    Lighting
    LISC
    Livability
    Neighborhood Governance
    Neighborhood Transformation
    Placemaking
    Policing
    Public Health
    SafeGrowth
    Safety Audits
    Security
    Social Cohesion
    Social Ecology
    Space Activation
    Street Walkability
    Suburbs
    Successful Places
    Surveillance
    Target Hardening
    Technology
    Urbanism


    ARCHIVES

    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009


CONTACT US

Submit

SEARCH THE WEBSITE


SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG

HOME

ABOUT

RESOURCES

BLOG

SAFEGROWTH ADVOCATES

TOOLKIT

CONTACT US


​SafeGrowth® 2007-2018 
All Rights Reserved
  • ABOUT
    • What is SafeGrowth? >
      • SafeGrowth language
    • What we can do
    • Summits & Search Conferences >
      • 2017 Calgary
      • 2016 New Orleans >
        • Event Photos
      • 2016 Sacramento >
        • Event Photos
      • 2015 Canmore >
        • Event Photos
    • Media >
      • Video
      • In the news
    • Likeminded
    • Friends of SafeGrowth
  • RESOURCES
    • SafeGrowth theory >
      • What makes great neighborhoods?
      • Four tenets
      • Recommended readings
    • SafeGrowth documents
    • SafeGrowth presentations
    • Video
    • TED-Ed
    • Publications
  • BLOG
  • ADVOCATES
  • TOOLKIT (MEMBERS ONLY)
    • Risk assessment >
      • RA Categories
      • RA Matrix
    • Report guidance >
      • Report structure
      • Sample reports
    • Readings for download
    • Glossary
  • CONTACT
✕