By Eleanor Luken
I saw the shattered green glass laying on the street before I even got to my car and as I walked around the passenger side I found the offending rock. As a resident of Old Louisville, I am no stranger to the effects of petty crime – other than “What a hassle,” my only thought was, “I knew this would happen sooner or later.” Throughout the entire frustrating morning spent on the phone with police officers and insurance agents, I cursed the lack of safety, the lack of surveillance, and all of society’s other malfunctions that contribute to a culture of crime in every city throughout the United States.
We would all love to live in a safe neighborhood: one where you wouldn’t fear walking home from campus in the dark or accidentally leaving your purse in the car. But the author Jane Jacobs, in “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” explains how there are not and will never be enough police officers to deter crime. Even if there were a large enough police force to combat drug trafficking and violent criminals, there is simply not enough manpower to prevent all the minor infractions, like my car window being smashed, that happen on a daily basis. Instead, Jacobs believes that there are ways to make cities safer by changing the physical environment of neighborhoods.
Cities are full of strangers, she explains. And while some of these strangers can be up to no good, many of them are merely eyes that are watching their surroundings and are willing to confront people causing trouble. Naturally, this means that places that are deserted are the most likely environments for crime. Jacobs suggests that neighborhoods be built for mixed use, meaning that there are homes as well as stores that are open during the day and establishments open at night like restaurants and theaters. This environment will get people out on the streets, walking from bar to bar or from a store to their car. Although strangers to the neighborhood, these people are available to provide watchful eyes, effectively deterring some crime. She recommends that homes and stores be built with windows oriented towards the street so that, as residents and storeowners casually watch the activity of the streets below, they are concurrently providing surveillance.
Not every one of us is willing to go out and join a neighborhood block watch. Even I, who am very concerned about city and neighborhood safety, don’t have the time to devote to such an organization. However, if Jacobs’ ideas were implemented in more neighborhoods, the people who lived there wouldn’t have to join a neighborhood safety team. Instead, merely by going about their daily activities, these residents would act as security forces without even realizing it.
