Parks, Crime and Better Design

In a recent discussion in one of my leisure classes we dove into a debate about parks, leisure and crime prevention.  While it is true that providing a safe place for activity, such as a park, can reduce crime rate, the opposite can be said for a poorly designed park.  The Oklahoma City Civic Center is a prime example of this.  While working on a Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS) project there during my undergrad career I witnessed many alcohol, and drug abusers using this space.  The design of the OKC Civic Center providing ample hidden locations that were conducive to such activity on a day to day basis.  However, with the recently completed re-design by Howard & Fairbairn Landscape Architecture, these purple recreation activities are much more obvious.  In addition, the number of  recreation activities, such as concerts and an ice skating rink in the winter, has increased at the Civic Center thereby promoting healthier activities, and thus reducing the purple recreation activities in the space.

The National Trails Training Partnership (NTTP) recently posted an article titled: Safe Trails Forum.  In the article the NTTP discusses the reality that many parks in America are a haven for crime, and that while their intent is to "rejuvenate and grow," in all actuality the opposite is occurring.  A 1992 study found that over 50% of Americans "feel unsafe in an area within a mile of their home."  Traditional Neighborhood Design(TND) of the past incorporated parks within a ten minute walking distance from every home, well within the mile distance stated in the study.  The problem with these parks of the past is that they were designed for passive recreation.  Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park in New York City, believed primarily in passive recreation.  Central Park's original design incorporated heavy plantings and meandering walkways that were pleasing to the eye, and encouraged mental stimulation.  While designs intended for passive recreation are beautiful, and make wonderful plans on paper, in all actuality, they encourage purple recreation.  This is the case due to the fact that the heavy plantings screen many parts of the park from law enforcement, and provide a safe haven at night for transient activity, as these types of parks are more difficult to patrol.

The NTTP proposes some design standards to alleviate the problem of purple recreation and crime.  Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, is a practice proposed by C. Ray Jeffreys that he defines as "proper design and effective use of the built environment that can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime, and the improvement in the quality of life."  This process is described as "site specific," meaning that no one solution will fit every park setting.  Typically general park maintenance has the highest correlation to crime rates.  As parks become better maintained, the rate of crime decreases.  This is due to the increased visibility into the park property.  Lower crowning trees, provide excellent screens to those who do not want to be seen. In addition, maintenance tells visitors that somebody cares and "owns" the property and thereby discourages negative activity uses.  Providing signals of space usage has also been shown to reduce the purple activities that occur in park settings.  Having clearly defined spaces, tells users what types of activities are acceptable in that setting and at the same time says "keep out" to those who have criminal activity in mind.  Park design has come a long way in the past 50 years, with beginnings as just relaxing picnic spaces on open lawns, transitioning over to a more active space in recent years.  The clearly defined spaces found in parks today provide a healthier setting for young families and promote a lifestyle that Americans can be proud of.