Safety

What do we mean when we say safety?

Feeling safe inside our homes and within our neighbourhoods by day and night is fundamental to individual and collective wellbeing. We should be able to live in our homes and neighbourhoods free from fear and free from gender, ability, sexuality, class and identity based harassment and violence. Our neighbourhoods should provide safe environments for everyone, inside and outside our homes.

Feeling safe within our homes and neighbourhoods is not only important for individual and collective wellbeing but it can also help to establish stronger and longer term communities that feel happy and confident to stay in their local area. Safety can inform the decisions we make about where we move or where we stay, where we want to raise a family, and where we find a job or volunteer in the community. Those living in the most deprived communities are most likely to feel unsafe, [4] highlighting the need for greater investment and support.

In order to feel safe we must acknowledge that crime is a diverse and varied thing and, although problems with gangs, drugs, and knife crime have become a particular issue in recent years, there are also major issues of sexual harassment, assault and other forms of gender, sexuality, class and ability-based violence in public space. Sustrans has published data showing that compared to cisgender and heterosexual people, LGBTQ+ people feel less safe within their neighbourhoods. [5]

How does this affect health and wellbeing?

According to the Glasgow Centre for Population Health the perception people have of their neighbourhood has a clear health impact, with a lack of safe play spaces making it more likely for people to experience anxiety, depression and poor health.[6]

The fear of crime, bullying and ‘stranger danger’ can prevent parents from encouraging their children to play locally and children from feeling safe when exploring their local neighbourhoods. [7] [8] Additionally, fears over the safety of traffic are one of the main reasons why parents don’t feel comfortable with their children exploring their neighbourhoods independently. But children need, and deserve to feel safe in their environment, especially in their local area. [9] There is clear evidence showing that accessible and safe urban green spaces, for example, can influence levels of physical activity and influence individual and community feelings of wellbeing.[10]

Case study

A sense of control: King’s Crescent Estate, London

King’s Crescent Estate was originally completed in 1971. Ground-floor garages and long shared balconies with multiple entry points made the site challenging to navigate and keep safe. Unpopular high-rise tower blocks were demolished in the 1990s, leaving gaps and wasteland and creating a sense of disillusionment and abandonment in the estate community.

The 2017 redevelopment focused on regular community engagement, training and upskilling, with residents involved in site-wide planning of new streets and homes.

A key success of the project is the social stability and sustainability achieved through active and regular engagement with the local community. A Residents Group and a Neighbourhood Watch have developed, which has also led to an improved sense of community safety.