Reimagining city identity through safe and sustainable public environments

Abstract

Cities have their own characteristics and identities, which may be affected by various dynamics or subject to change through the years. However, these changes could be positive or negative. The unique nature of each city is revealed through its social, ecological and environmental form and reflects the cultural and visual characteristics of the city. Safety and security are essential for successful sustainable communities and cities. Thus, improving safety through environmental design and creating sustainable cities have become increasingly important all over the world. Places where people experience crime and fear of crime affect the image of the city in a negative way and diminish people's quality of life. In public areas where opportunities for crime or fear of crime is high, all fields of design have a crucial role to play in reducing opportunities for crime and improving safety in urban spaces, from environmental planning to the design of products. Reimagining cities and public spaces in a positive way, it is crucial to consider that cities as living organisms need to be safe and sustainable to live and work in. Although crime prevention through concepts of design is complex and hard to deal, with it is vital for designing safe and sustainable city images. In this respect, to achieve better solutions for communities as well as successful city images, public and environmental regulations have to be considered carefully. Planners and designers must be aware of obstacles and deficiencies in terms of crime prevention, and they need to understand the basic relationship to develop design and applications in a better way. In this respect, designers, planners, politicians and decision makers must be able to assess which design solutions are better for the city and its image.