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Crime and the City

Sexual violence and crime against women has been creating headlines and an atmosphere of fear, mistrust and apprehension. Though crime and sexual violence against women is a problem that is prevalent across the urban-rural divide, the nature and forms of violence differ, and more often than not, are influenced by the physical environment as much as the social environment. Cities (the word traces its origins to the Latin word Civic, meaning Civilized), bear the responsibility of projecting a civilized, urbane and humane sides of its citizens. Our physical environment plays an important role in our behaviour and conduct, and therefore is one of the tools to curb this violent behaviour. 
“Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” (CPTED), an approach developed by architect Oscar Newman in the United states is a step towards creating “defensible space” and making safer urban environments.
(source: hromedia.com)
A recent Blog on India Ink at New York Times by Neyaz Farooquee asks the pertinent question, “Can Urban Planning help India’s cities reduce sexual violence?” The article goes on to say that [“apart from better policing, gender-sensitive city planning and design can help make India’s cities safer for women. Patterns of crime in a city, according to these experts, vary according to its urban design.”]
The emergence of gated communities across our cities has further created segregated and secluded enclaves that turn their backs to the streets, with no “eyes on the street” in the words of the late Jane Jacobs.
[“When cities become fortified, they create ‘non-space’ or ‘residual space’ outside the walls of their gated colonies,” said Gautam Bhan, a senior consultant at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements. “Those spaces then belong to no one and creates empty landscapes that violence then fills.”]
Surveillance is a function of manned security and technology as much as of Urban Design. Well lit, usable footpaths with enough activity and “natural surveillance” on the streets goes a long way in ensuring safety and security. 
The “Broken Window Theory” is also an important learning, proposed by social scientists James Wilson and George Kelling in the early ‘80s. “The broken windows theory is a criminological theory of the norm-setting and signalling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behaviour. The theory states that maintaining and monitoring urban environments in a well-ordered condition may stop further vandalism and escalation into more serious crime.” (source: Wikipedia)
To come back to the question, “Can Urban Planning help India’s cities reduce sexual violence?” the answer is that Urban Planning/ Design may not be the single most effective tool to tackle the issue of sexual violence in our cities. But sensitive urban design can be a highly effective tool in preventing crime and mis-behaviour.

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