Considering Safety Through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances Ann Forsyth Version 2.0

DESIGN FOR HEALTH University of Minnesota | August 2007

Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances Ann Forsyth Version 2.0.

DESIGN FOR HEALTH is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living with the every-day realities of local government planning.

Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances

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Series Editor: Dr. Carissa Schively Contributors: Dr. Ann Forsyth, Dr. Kevin Krizek, Dr. Carissa Schively, Laura Baum, Amanda Johnson, Aly Pennucci Copy Editor: Bonnie Hayskar Layout Designers: Anna Christiansen, Tom Hilde, Kristin Raab, Jorge Salcedo, Katie Thering, Luke Van Sistine Website Managers: Whitney Parks, Joanne Richardson

Thanks to Active Living by Design for their helpful comments.

Suggested Citation: Design for Health. 2007. Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances. Version 2.0. www.designforhealth.net

Design for Health 2 www.designforhealth.net Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances

Overview • Safety is an issue that can be addressed through specifi c implementation strategies Design for Health’s Planning Information Sheets that include: developing urban design series provides planners with useful information ordinances that either briefl y mention safety about opportunities to address important or more fully create a series of design-related health issues through the comprehensive development requirements; incorporating planning process and plan implementation. shared streets and traffi c-calming tools; The series addresses a range of health issues using independent safety checklists or that are relevant to many communities and can audits; integrating safety within traditional be effi ciently and effectively integrated into building-code sections, such as landscaping local plans and policies. This information sheet and lighting; including it as part of a theme discusses a number of opportunities that planners within a pedestrian-overlay district; or as a have to address safety through planning and consideration within the development review policy approaches. process.

Key Points • Safety is not an isolated issue; rather, it is tied • This safety information sheet highlights to many other health topics covered in the public-health aspects that directly relate to DFH materials. For more information, see the aspects of the built environment, speciﬁ cally table on the next page. addressing safety by reducing transportation- related crashes, pedestrian and bike injuries and crime and overall violence. Primarily, we Understanding the Relationship focus on the latter two. between Safety and Planning • Safety is a broad theme that relates to a variety of additional issues, such as safe water, Traditional approaches to public safety focus on roadways, air, or workplaces. Some of these ﬁ re protection, emergency medial services and dimensions are covered in other aspects of law enforcement. Looking beyond a facilities- the designforhealth.net project (namely water, approach, a number of additional issues are physical activity and air). related to the intersection of safety, health and planning; these include: transportation-related • While planners tend to think of safety in safety, pedestrian/bicycle crashing, crime, relation to the above health-related themes, and violence. As the Key Questions Research there is also a substantial amount of research Summary on Safety outlines these are important that demonstrates a link between mental issues (see www.designforhealth.net for more health and safety, such that people’s mental information). health is affected by whether or not they feel safe in a variety of environments. Please refer to the mental-health information sheet and key questions for more information.

• There are a variety of ways to address safety issues: embedded within traditional comprehensive plan elements like public services, human services or transportation; incorporated as a sub-section within less tradition comprehensive plan elements, such as community character or neighborhood design; or more fully explored through master Ann Forsyth plans that focus on safety, pedestrians or This underpass in Cumbernauld, Scotland, is cut off from greenways and trails. natural surveillance

Design for Health 3 www.designforhealth.net Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances

Design for Health Planning Information Sheets addressing Safety

DFH Planning Information Topics covered related to Link: Sheet: accessibility:

. Trafﬁ c calming . Considering Safety through Shared streets http://www.designforhealth.net/ Comprehensive Planning . Streetscape-design guidelines techassistance/safetyissue.html and Ordinances . Pedestrian plans . CPTED

. Multimodal transportation Promoting Accessibility systems http://www.designforhealth.net/ with Comprehensive . Transit planning techassistance/Accessibility.htm Planning and Ordinances . Specialized populations

Supporting Physical http://www.designforhealth. . Activity through Pedestrian and bicycle plans net/techassistance/ Comprehensive Planning . Community design physicalactivityissue.html and Ordinances

Planning for Safety do little to provide any safeguards for walkers or cyclists; the overall design of a roadway is This section discusses a number of practices that paramount. To address this, there are a variety of communities might undertake to more effectively strategies available that aim to modify features plan for safety. We consider both comprehensive of the built environment to better accommodate planning and regulatory efforts that planners can pedestrians and cyclists and therefore increase consider. It should be noted that we primarily safety. Trafﬁ c calming is one of these design- focus on pedestrian/bicycle crashes and crime/ related approaches as is its close cousin known violence. While crime and violence are different, as complete streets; formal design guidelines are the built-environment strategies to address these another. issues can be similar.

Pedestrian/Bicycle Crashes

Outside of the formal planning process, strides can be made by simply accounting for various elements that help foster more walking and cycling environments—either via physical infrastructure modiﬁ cations or more area-speciﬁ c policy approaches. Bicycle and pedestrian crashes are the result of many different causes, including errant behavior of the traveler (either cars or pedestrians/bicyclists) and built environments that do too little to protect walkers or bicyclists.

Too often, streets and intersections are designed Ann Forsyth to principally accommodate fast moving Bicycles painted on the road are designed to function as a vehicular trafﬁ c. Even if a speed limit is posted guide to encourage safe riding and driving behavior from both at 25 mph, the overall design of a corridor may bicyclists and motorists.

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Traffi c calming is most often applied on Shared streets are a more specifi c design strategy residential streets that otherwise would receive under the banner of traffi c calming. Derived a great deal of through traffi c. But it may also from Dutch root words “woon werf,” it is be appropriate for shopping streets where a translated as “living yard,” but in the late 1960s more pedestrian-oriented realm is desired, while was taken to mean “street for living” to reduce vehicles remain. There are a variety of techniques cut-through traffi c. The woonerf puts the needs for traffi c calming (County of Montgomery 1996; of car drivers secondary to the needs of users of U.S. Federal Highway Administration 2001). the street as a whole. Thus, despite remaining They include:They include: connected, many neighborhood streets appear like driveways, with a realignment of the travel • speed bumps, speed humps, speed tables, path, instituting double-parallel parking so that raised crossings, undulations, or road texture/ the travel lane would go around two parked cars, material; using brick pavers to inform and slow drivers, and placing planters and other furniture in what • traffi c circles and roundabouts, curb had been the roadway. The same transportation extensions (bulb-outs, neckdowns, chokers, lane is used for pedestrians, bicycles and motor chicanes/lateral shifts), median or pedestrian- vehicles. The success of the woonerf (it was refuge islands or edge lines to narrow a wide endorsed by the national government in 1976) roadway in order to create a bicycle lane, spread to other European cities, primarily in the parking lane or shoulder; and Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, initially. These techniques, including especially diverters, • full closures or cul-de-sac conversion, half were adopted in mainstream manner in the U.S. closures (closing one direction), diverters in the 1970s in cities such as Berkeley, California; (barriers at intersection to prohibit or require Seattle, Washington; and Eugene, Oregon, and certain movements), or realignment of have since spread to countless others. Efforts intersections. have been underway to integrate them into mainstream suburban environments (Ben-Joseph In areas with traffi c calming, drivers “read” 1995). the potential hazards of the road environment and adjust their behaviors in response, thereby Rather than modify specifi c blocks or treatment resulting in fewer crashes (Dumbaugh 2005). areas, a more comprehensive approach to address From a policy standpoint, traffi c calming is pedestrian and bicycle safety falls under the addressed in the West Palm Beach, Florida, banner of complete streets. Complete streets are comprehensive plan. West Palm Beach has designed and operated to enable safe access and implemented a citywide traffi c-calming program transport for all users, meaning that pedestrians, with a variety of treatments used in different bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all settings. The Transportation Element of the ages and abilities are able to use the street. Comprehensive Plan provides the policy basis for Traditionally streets are designed around cars the traffi c-calming improvements by identifying and all other modes follow suit behind, if at all. a number of traffi c-calming efforts, including: In other words, multilane streets and boulevards vertical changes in the street (e.g., speed humps, typically accommodate only cars. They have no speed tables, raised intersections), lateral changes bike lanes. No sidewalks. No pull-outs for bus in the street (e.g., chicanes, offset intersections, transit. No trees. No medians or crosswalks so lateral shifts), constrictions (e.g., narrowings, children and others could safely cross. Complete pinch points, islands), narrow pavement widths streets require transportation agencies to change (e.g., medians, edge treatments), entrance their orientation. Instituting a complete streets features, traffi c circles, and small corner radii and policy ensures that transportation agencies related streetscapes (e.g., surface textures, edge routinely design and operate the entire right treatments and colors, landscaping, street trees of way to enable safe access for all users. and furniture) (City of West Palm Beach 2003). Many communities across the country are now

Design for Health 5 www.designforhealth.net Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances adopting complete streets ordinances, requiring Another approach to integrating pedestrian that all new streets include, for example, street concerns into a comprehensive plan was used and sidewalk lighting, pedestrian and bicycle in Oakland, California. The City adopted a safety improvements, public transit facilities pedestrian-oriented plan as a component of accommodation, street trees, and more. the comprehensive plan. The City’s Pedestrian Master Plan is part of the Land Use and In addition to broader initiatives such as traffi c Transportation Element of the Oakland General calming and complete streets, design guidelines Plan. The Plan includes fi ve over-arching goals, might also be used to implement pedestrian- including: oriented planning. As part of its Downtown Austin Design Guidelines, the City of Austin, 1. Pedestrian Safety. Create a street environment Texas, has identifi ed a number of guidelines that strives to ensure pedestrian safety. that are intended to promote a pedestrian- 2. Pedestrian Access. Develop an environment friendly environment. For each design guideline, throughout the City—prioritizing routes to the document identifi es the key issues to be school and transit—that enables pedestrians addressed, values supported, examples, and to travel safely and freely. recommendations. One sample design guideline 3. Streetscapes and Land Use. Provide related to streetscape design is provided below: pedestrian amenities and promote land uses that enhance public spaces and neighborhood Streetscape 10: Provide Protection from Cars/ commercial districts. Promote Curbside Parking 4. Education. Educate citizens, community groups, business associations and developers Issue: The physical nature of the streetscape on the safety, health and civic benefi ts of should make people walking there as safe as walkable communities. possible, and should make them feel a sense of 5. Implementation. Integrate pedestrian safety, as well. It may be impractical to assume considerations based on federal guidelines that effective barriers could be provided along into projects, policies and the City’s planning the curbs of every street downtown, protecting process. pedestrians from the possibility of being struck by a car. But a degree of protection can be The analysis of existing conditions in the plan created in fairly easy and inexpensive ways. includes existing street conditions, including Perhaps the best protection for the sidewalk identifying opportunities, such as mixed-use would be cars parked along the curb. Parking development, short blocks, transit access, meters would provide some protection too. pedestrian destinations, and trails. Walking Where there is no parallel parking at the curb, rates, pedestrian-accident data, school safety, small bollards, heavy planters or other similar connections to transit, education, enforcement, devices may provide some protection. Parking and community outreach also were addressed along the street edge can provide a buffer (City of Oakland 2002). between busy automobile traffi c and pedestrian movement. It also acts as a traffi c-calming feature, slowing drivers in the curbside lane.

Recommendations: 1.Barriers from cars should be provided along the sidewalk edge. 2.This protection may take the form of cars parked in legitimate parking spaces, trees or bollards. 3.Curbside parking is encouraged along all busy downtown streets.

4.When right-of-way is 80 feet of less, parallel Ann Forsyth parking is encouraged (City of Austin 2000). Clearly marked crosswalks identify where pedestrians should be Design for Health 6 www.designforhealth.net Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances

The Kamloops, British Columbia, Pedestrian chapter on human services focuses more on Master Plan provides a very formalized approach facilities and accessibility (accessibility is another to identifying and prioritizing problem areas health-related theme that is covered by DFH). to be addressed in the plan. The plan includes One of the objectives within this chapter is clean a four-part rating system, gathered from a and safe neighborhoods, along with community needs assessment, summarized in the table on participation, schools as centers of community, the following page. Basic information about and planning and maintenance of community each roadway segment was provided, costs facilities. Some of the built environment-related for improvements were included, and short-, strategies related to clean and safe neighborhoods medium- and long-term priorities were identifi ed include (City of Kamloops 2002). • Establish acceptable and equitable standards Another key part of the plan is design guidelines for neighborhood cleanliness and deploy for pedestrian facilities and environments. The City personnel and resources to uphold those guidelines relate to sidewalk width and materials, standards citywide. lighting, signage, landscaping, way fi nding, • Promote planning, urban design and activities crosswalks, curb ramps, refuge islands, corner within neighborhoods that foster supportive radii, signals, and a wide range of traffi c-calming relations among family members, neighbors, options different generations, cultural groups, and institutions. • Develop strong partnerships among neighborhoods, police and other City agencies to solve problems, prevent crime and reduce violence. The City should encourage efforts to improve the image of safety in neighborhoods through public education, eliminate visual factors indicating crime (e.g., boarded-up houses, graffi ti, litter) and increase police visibility. • Prevent crime and promote personal safety by using principles of Crime Prevention through environmental Design (CPTED) in project

Ann Forsyth design. This ﬂ ower garden gives this building a cared-for look while also maintaining sight lines to and from the building Source: City of Denver 2000, 152-3:

Crime and Violence Safety is tied to the section on neighborhoods, because of its relationship to quality-of-life issues that the City is facing. The issue of crime and violence can be addressed through a policy-based approach either as part As with Denver above, one of the tools of a comprehensive plan or as a supportive or often found in both policy documents and stand-alone document. The City of Denver, implementation methods includes design Colorado, covers safety in both a traditional way approaches like the use of Crime Prevention (chapter on human services) and a more non- through Environmental Design (CPTED) traditional way (chapter on neighborhoods). The principles. While most planners are familiar with chapter on neighborhoods accompanies more CPTED, they may not be as familiar with the traditional elements, such as land use, housing, evolution of CPTED through the development economic activity, human services, mobility, of new design tools. Below, we cover both etc.). The section on neighborhoods directly traditional CPTED examples and those that links safety to the built environment, while the have used CPTED as a foundation for new

Design for Health 7 www.designforhealth.net Planning Information Sheet: Considering Safety through Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances Table 1. Summary of Kamloops Pedestrian Master Plan Needs Assessment Methodology Rating Purpose How it is measured Rating scale Safety Issues Rating This is a measure of the pedestrian- The safety-issues rating is a subjec- 1 – Existing sidewalk on at least safety issues on a roadway link, tive rating that was assigned, based one side based on known safety problems or on qualitative input from the City. 2 – Existing sidewalk or gravel/as- exposure to collisions for vulner- phalt walkway adjacent to the road able-user groups. link, but could use improvement 3 – No pedestrian facilities, and no identiﬁ ed problems 4 – No pedestrian facilities, and potential safety problems 5 – No pedestrian facilities with a known safety problem or within 100 m of a vulnerable-pedestrian land use (i.e., school or seniors facility)

Pedestrian Safety Index The pedestrian safety index (PSI) The PSI is based on a mathemati- PSI values range from 1 to 5.5 and provides a measure of the pedestri- cal formula that takes into account are reported on a Level of Service an’s perceived level of comfort and various aspects of the pedestrian basis (A through F). safety on a particular road link. environment and adjacent road characteristics. The formula is based on a complex equation that accounts for width of buffer, road, sidewalk; peak 15-minute trafﬁ c volume, buffer area, percent of on-street parking, average vehicle speed, number of lanes.

Network Contribution This rating was used as a measure The rating is assigned to each link 1 – Existing sidewalk on at least of the relative “importance” of based on location and relative im- one side Rating the pedestrian link to the overall portance for pedestrian facilities. 2 – Existing shoulder or walkway citywide pedestrian network. It adjacent, in peripheral area is used to provide a measure of 3 – No sidewalk for signiﬁ cant consistency and continuity of the length (>1000 m) or not connected pedestrian network and identify at either end those areas where there are “gaps” 4 – No sidewalk for moderate in the system. length (400 – 1000 m) 5 – No sidewalk for short length (<400 m)

Pedestrian Demand The pedestrian demand rating is The demand rating is assigned to Pedestrian demand is rated on a used as a measure of the existing each link based on the various land scale of 1 to 5, with a 1 indicating Rating demand associated with existing uses and related pedestrian genera- low existing or expected demand, land uses. tors throughout the city. A set of and 5 indicating a high demand. “distances” between generators and road links was developed to assign a rating of demand on a particular link, based on the adjacent land uses.

Aggregate Rating This rating combines the four rat- This rating is a weighted averaged The aggregate rating is also ings in order to assess the overall of the four other ratings. Weight- reported on a scale of 1 to 5, with need of each road link and priori- ings for this calculation were 1 indicating the lowest need for tize needs. determined as: (1) Safety Issues— improvements, and 5 indicating the 20 percent, (2) PSI—20 percent, highest relative need. Network Contribution—20 percent and Pedestrian Demand—40 percent. The aggregate rating is further prioritized on a percentile basis that assigns the highest ratings to those segments that have the highest aggregate ratings.

Source: City of Kamloops 2002.

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tools. CPTED has been modifi ed, for example, Some design tactics used to create a feeling of to include more emphasis on ways that building safety include: allowing clear views, having community can reduce crime, which is related appropriate lighting, establishing activity to the idea of social capital through such tools as generators to increase eyes on the street, SafeScape. The idea behind it includes principles supporting mixed use, establishing a vibrant that relate to how one identifi es if the physical public realm, keeping up with maintenance, environment is unsafe and how one creates a identifying a hierarchy of spaces, and supporting sense of safety. They include (Brennan 2002): a high-quality environment (Brennan 2002). These are all ways of increasing way fi nding, • Principle 1. Information and Orientation. We stewardship, ownership, and socialization to feel unsafe when we don’t know where we are address crime and fear. and/or where we are going. • Principle 2. Interaction and Socialization. We CPTED can be incorporated within a policy feel unsafe when we are alone and there are no document. The City of Durham, North other people with whom we can interact. Carolina, for example, has a traditional public- • Principle 3. Ownership and Stewardship. We safety element within its comprehensive feel unsafe when the physical environment is plan that focuses on fi re-protection level of not properly cared for and not maintained. service standards (fi re-protection response • Principle 4. Seeing and Being Seen. We feel time, staffi ng, location of fi re stations, etc.), unsafe when we can’t see other people and law enforcement level of service standards, they can’t see us. emergency management (e.g., EMS-response • Principle 5. Land Use and Design. Encourages time, emergency-operations plan), and safety and community building through interagency cooperation (City of Durham 2005). proper design of the physical environment. In an objective that discusses shared roles in • Principle 6. Activity and Programming. crime prevention with other agencies, there is a Facilitates safety and community building policy that “Ensures the consideration of CPTED by bringing people together in the physical strategies in site design through the integration environment. of CPTED principles in the Unifi ed Development • Principle 7. Management and Maintenance. Ordinance and design guidelines” (City of Sustains safety and community building Durham 2005, 12.3.2b). This policy on CPTED is through the long-term commitment to proper also linked to chapter 4 on Community Character care of the physical environment. and Design Element where site design and safety is listed as a summary issue, along with protecting rural character, community maintenance, improving entryways, tree protection, parking lot landscaping, etc. Within the objective section on design guidelines and standards, it requires all new development consider CPTED principles. CPTED is mentioned briefl y here, but does not go into great detail.

The development of urban-design ordinances is another way that planners can incorporate CPTED / SafeScape principles. The City of Tempe, Arizona, for example, has incorporated some of these principles into its Zoning and Development Code in relation to development Ann Forsyth standards. Chapters include general development Pedestrian lighting directs light on sidewalk and bench and bollards create a barrier between pedestrians and trafﬁ c standards, public infrastructure, building design, access and circulation, landscaping, lighting, and signage. Chapter 7, entitled “Landscape and

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Walls,” provides design standards for landscape reinforcement. The CPTED review consists of the treatments with a stated purpose to create following steps (2001, 38). defensible spaces that support crime prevention, along with such other goals as “control erosion, 1. Crime Analysis Review. This information will reduce dust and glare, provide shade, visually assist the police department in determining soften building masses, ensure ADA accessibility, the types of crimes that are occurring on and and aid in screening intense activities.” In section around the trail. 4-704 of this code, the City states that, “Parking 2. Demographics. This information describes lots shall have landscape treatments that provide the nature of the population around the trail shade and allow for natural surveillance” (City before it is built. of Tempe 2005, 42). They have two ways to 3. Land Use. City planning departments, conform, either through standard dimensions or zoning boards, traffi c engineers, and local performance standards based on tree canopy. It neighborhood groups have information that is important to note that these primarily focus on describes and depicts the physical allocation landscaping and indirectly focus on safety. and use of land in and around the trail. 4. Observations. Offi cers will conduct an actual Additionally, the purpose of the section in review of the physical space that has been chapter 8 on lighting states that, “lighting is designated as a trail segment. intended to ensure appropriate lighting levels 5. Resident or User Interviews. Offi cers will that support way-fi nding and crime prevention, conduct interviews with persons living assist people with visual impairments, allow near the proposed trail to determine their fl exibility in architectural design, minimize perspectives on safety. undesirable light and glare into adjoining properties and minimize light pollution into After the review, a series of CPTED the nighttime sky” (City of Tempe 2005, 48). recommendations are made in relation to security Each development must include a photometric procedures that are designed to limit criminal plan and must follow a set of lighting standards activity on the trail and in the surrounding related to illumination levels, operation and neighborhoods. These recommendations cover maintenance, types of space that require issues such as lighting, location of benches illumination (parking structure, stairwells, and rest stops, access to trails from roadways, loading docks, etc.), parking lots, pedestrian and landscaping. These recommendations pathways, building entrances, etc. are incorporated into the fi nal design of each segment The Tampa Police Department has a The City of Tampa, Florida, includes a lengthy staff trained in the principles of CPTED. Tampa section on CPTED in its Greenways and Trails has also linked policy with plan implementation Master Plan in chapter 4 that focuses on design as it has incorporated some design principles into guidelines and safety. The section begins by the West Tampa Overlay District that relates to stating that each proposed greenway and trail pedestrian safety. The general site and building section will receive a (CPTED) Crime Prevention standards for commercial buildings within through Environmental Design review. The this overlay district, for example, require that plan proposes that (City of Tampa 2001, 38), the principle façade and entry to the building “The proper design and effective use of the built should front the street and be accessible from environment can lead to a reduction in the fear the sidewalk in order to “assure pedestrian and incidence of crime, and an improvement in safety and retail visibility” (City of Tampa no the quality of life.” The Tampa Police Department date, 4). Further, it requires that 50 percent will conduct the CPTED review of the citizen- of the ground level of the principal building approved greenways during the planning and façade be constructed of transparent materials or design phase of all new and renovated trails. fenestrated” (City of Tampa no date, 4). CPTED is based on three strategies that support problem-solving approaches to crime: natural access control, natural surveillance and territorial

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Within its municipal code, along with chapters on a handbook, safety audit and CPTED workshop. subdivisions, zoning code, development review After the information was collected code, etc., the City of SeaTac, Washington, has and analyzed, the planning department an entire ordinance chapter dedicated to CPTED developed a series of design and development principles that is broken down into the following guidelines for various types of uses (multi- sections (City of SeaTac 2006, 1): family residential, single-family residential, parks/open space, schools, commercial/retail, • CPTED Concepts etc.). In addition, a law enforcement offi cer was • Purpose, Principles and Application assigned the task of reviewing site plans and • Defi nitions making recommendations as to how the site • Security Provisions plans could be modifi ed to create a safer physical • Exterior Lighting environment. • Parking Lot Lighting • Parking Structures • Private Street Lighting • Gasoline/Service Station and Convenience Store Lighting • Walkway, Bikeway and Park Lighting • Building Facade and Landscape Lighting • Interior Spaces • Landscaping • CPTED Standards Related to Natural Surveillance

As with most CPTED plans, the purpose is

to reduce the fear and incidence of crime and Design Center Metropolitan to improve the quality of life via the built Canopy trees allow clear sight lines through the park while environment through territoriality, natural also providing shade surveillance, access control, activity support, and maintenance. (City of SeaTac 2006, Ord. 03-1033 § 11). This is a very comprehensive approach, Besides CPTED, there are a series of safety audit because it explains what CPTED is and then or safety checklists that communities can use applies it to a variety of different uses. to become more familiar with potential safety issues within their communities. The American CPTED often involves education programming Planning Association (APA) has developed a and community public participation as opposed Safe Growth America Checklist to “facilitate to solely being embedded within policy and plan discussions about safety and about actions implementation. The Phoenix [Arizona] Planning that might enhance safety in a neighborhood” Department initiated the Safe Communities (American Planning Association 2004, 3). Program. The program’s focus was to create The checklist includes the following topics: partnerships among City departments that are pedestrians and bicyclists, health/accessibility, involved in creating the physical environment. motor-vehicle and transit riders, buildings, home This partnership includes key departments, such and workplace, public facilities, and the natural as law enforcement, ﬁ re, parks and neighborhood environment. Each has a series of questions that services—departments that are involved with can be answered in relation to each topic. The safety issues on a daily basis. The partnership table on the next page, for example, focuses on also includes departments involved with review physical activity. of site plans and enforcement of neighborhood- preservation ordinances, and departments responsible for providing housing for low- income residents. The collaboration resulted in

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The checklist ends with a few comments on next Final Thoughts steps, which include (APA 2004, 18): document your ﬁ ndings, select a course of action, make and The examples above are just a sampling of the implement the plan, and monitor the results. This approaches that communities can use to address should be more expansive. For more information safety issues. The examples illustrate language about this checklist, please visit that can be integrated into comprehensive plans http://www.planning.org/symposium/pdf/Safe and also design-related policies that can be GrowthAmericaChecklist.pdf. used in zoning regulations and other municipal ordinances. Incorporating any of these ideas into a local plan or code often requires that the community residents be involved in a discussion about their feelings of safety in relation to the built environment.

Table 1. APA Safe American Checklist on Physical Activity Yes No N/A Are sidewalks relatively smooth? Are sidewalks free of debris and obstructions? Are sidewalks wide enough for expected use? Are there sidewalks on both sides of the street? Are there ramps in sidewalks at corners and on medians? Is there shade to protect pedestrians from the sun? Are there places for pedestrians to sit and rest? Is drinking water available for bicyclists or pedestrians? Are there bike paths or bike lanes? Are bike paths/lanes relatively smooth? Are bike paths/lanes free of debris and obstructions? Are bike paths/lanes and sidewalks free of blind spots so that entering pedestrians, bicycles, or motor vehicles are visible? Are sidewalks and bike paths/lanes free of obstacles such as road signs? Do sidewalks or bike paths/lanes terminate logically? Are there crosswalks at intersections? Are crosswalks well marked? Are there crossing signals at busy intersections? Are there medians in the middles of wide streets? Is lighting along sidewalks adequate? Is the area free of solid walls that limit visibility? Are police ofﬁ cers available in the area? Are there telephones to make emergency calls? Is there either residential or commercial activity that provides “eyes on the street”? What other characteristics of the area might affect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists? Source: APA 2004, 4

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References City of Tampa, Florida. No date. West Tampa overlay district illustrated design standards. American Planning Association. 2004. Safe Prepared by Land Development Coordinated growth America checklist. http://www.planning. Division of the City of Tampa. http://www. org/symposium/pdf/SafeGrowthAmericaCheck tampagov.net/dept_Land_Development/ﬁ les/ list.pdf. WestTampaIllustratedDesignStandards.pdf.

Ben-Joseph, E. 1995. Changing the Residential _____. 2001. Master plan: Tampa greenways and Street Scene: Adapting the Shared Street trails. http://www.tampagov.net/dept_parks/ (Woonerf) Concept to the Suburban Environment. fi les/fi nal-DOC.pdf. Journal of the American Planning Association. 61(4):504-515. City of Tempe, Arizona. 2005. Chapter 7: Landscape and walls. http://www.tempe.gov/ Brennan, D. 2002. SafeScape: Creating a safer zoning/ZDCode/ZDCpart4.pdf. physical environment. http://www.planning. org/viewpoints/safescape.htm. City of West Palm Beach, Florida. 2003. Comprehensive Plan: Transportation Element. City of Austin, Texas. 2000. Downtown Austin http://www.cityofwpb.com/plan/compplan. Design Guidelines. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/ htm. downtown/designguidelines.htm. County of Montgomery, Maryland. 1996. City of Denver, Colorado. 2000. Plan 2000: Residential Traffi c Calming Program. http:// Comprehensive plan for Denver, Our long-term www.montgomerycountymd.gov/trstmpl. human environment: Neighborhoods. http:// asp?url=/content/dpwt/operations/traffi c/ www.denvergov.org/Portals/146/documents/ speed_calming.asp. PLAN2000/NEIGHBOR.pdf. Dumbaugh, E. 1995. “Safe Streets, Livable City of Durham, North Carolina. 2005. Durham Streets.” Journal of the American Planning comprehensive plan, chapter 12: Public safety. Association. 71(3):283-298. http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/ planning/comp_plan/dcp_12.pdf. U.S. Federal Highway Administration. 2001. Traffi c Calming. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ City of Kamloops, British Columbia. 2002. environment/tcalm/index.htm. Pedestrian Master Plan. http://www.kamloops. ca/transportation/pedestrianplan.shtml.

City of Oakland, California. 2002. General Plan: Adopted Pedestrian Master Plan. http://www. oaklandnet.com/government/Pedestrian/index. html.

City of Sea-Tac, Washington. 2006. Municipal code, title 17: Crime prevention through environmental design. http://www.cityofseatac. com/mcode/smc170000000.htm.

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