Peace and Environment News* November 1998
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Peace and Environment News * November 1998 |
by Shelley Parlow
In response to growing concerns about public safety, residents of Hunt Club Woods in Ottawa South organized a Safety Audit earlier this year. New infill developments and a dramatically increased population are seen as a threat in a neighbourhood where there are already large low-income, youth and immigrant populations, lots of break-ins and inadequate social and other services.
A Safety Audit allows people to identify areas within their neighbourhood that are unsafe, and to propose possible solutions. The idea was developed by the Women's Action Centre Against Violence as a way of making neighbourhoods safer for vulnerable groups such as women and children, the elderly, people with disabilities, visible minorities and newcomers. When you make your neighbourhood safer for these groups, you make it safer for everyone.
Walk-About
Our first step was to organize a Walk-About for the evening of April 28. We then set up additional meetings in May and June to discuss solutions. Representatives from the community police and the fire department were invited to these meetings to tell us their concerns about our community. A final report was written over the summer and submitted to the City of Ottawa in early September. In total, about thirty local residents participated.
An audit can cover any size area, from a parking lot or a building to an entire neighbourhood. In our case, we focused on Uplands Drive between Riverside Drive and Hunt Club Road. Volunteers divided into 6 teams, each assigned to a few blocks. Adjacent shopping areas, greenspaces and the local Community Centre were also audited.
During the Walk-About, groups were asked to identify "unsafe" locations. For each site, a checklist was completed: general impressions (Does the area appear desolate, deserted at night?), lighting (Are the streetlights adequate? What proportion of porch lights are on?), signage (Could an emergency vehicle locate a particular unit or street?), sight-lines (Are there hiding places for assailants?), isolation (Are there people around at night? Is there help nearby?), maintenance problems (overflowing garbage cans, hazards on sidewalks), and human factors (graffiti, vandalism).
Identifying concerns
In subsequent meetings, we identified three major concerns for our community. Two of these—lighting and signage—are not too difficult to resolve. But problems related to disaffected youth will require long-term solutions and much discussion, and will have to involve many levels of government.
What did we learn from this experience? Well, the audit documented many things that we already knew. But it was also a great learning experience. We learned that we can take action to solve neighbourhood problems. And we began to feel part of a larger community, filled with new and interesting people that care about our neighbourhood as much as we do.
Things we didn't know about
The exercise provided many surprising insights. During the Walk-About, one group found themselves witnessing a street fight between two young women—yes, youth violence is indeed a problem in our neighbourhood! We also found out that the ubiquitous graffiti reflects the presence of not one but three youth gangs.
We discovered that a street can look very different at night. We learned that urban streetlighting is designed to be supplemented by porch lighting. Because a lot of people are not leaving their porch lights on at night, sidewalks that look perfectly safe in the daylight become dark and desolate at night—not a good place to wait for the bus! We also found that emergency vehicles and newcomers face real problems locating our homes. Many house numbers were dark, could not be seen from the street, or were placed in unusual locations.
And we learned that landscaping can be a safety hazard. Attractive hedges and trees by day provide convenient lurking places for assailants at night. Our much loved greenspaces have a darker side—they provide unmonitored areas where juvenile arsonists practice their craft and thieves hide their booty. Even tree branches hanging low over the sidewalk can present a serious hazard for the blind.
We also were dismayed to find that the community police station is located several neighbourhoods away and that they rely on Neighbourhood Watch Programs, programs which are absent or lapsed in many areas of our neighbourhood. With mixed feelings, we learned that our neighbourhood is seen by the police as pretty safe compared to the "norm" in Ottawa.
Thanks to our supporters
Should other neighbourhoods do a safety audit? Definitely. Our audit was made possible with help from the following: Madeleine Marier from the Women's Action Centre Against Violence, Arlene Gregoire and Bob Spicer from the City of Ottawa, Constable Allan Spears from the Community Police (O-C Regional Police Service, District 34, East Division), Dave Scott from the Ottawa Fire Prevention Bureau, Wendy Stewart (Regional Councillor, River Ward), Karin Howard (Ottawa City Councillor, Ward 8) and her staff, and the staff at the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Centre. The Hunt Club-Riverside News (our community newspaper) also helped out by publishing two articles on the Audit (April 15 and May 13, byline Pat Hitsman).
Shelley Parlow participated in the Hunt Club Woods safety audit.
Converted July 31, 1999 - Lg
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