Weed and Seed Sites Use CPTED To Improve Their Communities

NCPC’s work with Weed and Seed sites is paying off. Training in NCPC’s Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program has played a large part of the sites’ success.

By Sarita Coletrane, NCPC Staff

NCPC has been working closely with Weed and Seed sites across the country, conducting Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) training and technical assistance for the last several years. Currently, NCPC is working with Weed and Seed sites in Montgomery, AL; Washington, DC; Manchester, NH; Rome, NY; Troy, NY; Schenectady, NY; N. Charleston, SC; and Dallas, TX.

Troy, for example, has had great success as a direct result of implementing an action plan using the CPTED principles learned through NCPC’s training. The Westside Waterfront Weed and Seed location in Troy is home to nearly 3,500 households, most of whom are renters. This site decided to reduce the amount of property crime and reclaim green space that fallen into the hands of drug traffickers and users.

With a motivated city and community response, this Weed and Seed site increased and improved signage at the apartment buildings to make it easier to define where private and public property began and ended. They renovated the playground to make it more user-friendly and appealing by laying mulch on the surface, improving the lighting, and installing a small “splash pad” with a water sprinkler for children. Landscaping was improved, the parking lot was re-lined, and a wrought-iron fence will soon be installed.

The site also focused on reclaiming Troy’s Canal Avenue Park for family use. This park was rife with graffiti and in disrepair. Older youth loitered in the area of the rusted playground equipment and intimidated younger children and families who might have wanted to use the park.

The site engaged local partners with great success. The fire department agreed to open and lock the gates to the park every day, the community policing unit agreed to patrol more regularly, the Osgood Crime Watch Association agreed to maintain the park, the city administration agreed to develop a work plan and new vision for the park, and on Earth Day this past April, service projects saw 60 neighbors volunteer to remove graffiti, clean up and paint playground equipment, and trim trees to help sightlines and lighting. In addition, the United Way organized a revitalization team of 100 volunteers to take out the old playground equipment and ready the site for new, toddler-scaled playground equipment; install new picnic tables and barbeque grills; and design and install a children’s literacy trail garden based on the book Flower Garden by Eve Bunting. Signs displaying the simple verses of the children’s tale illustrate the garden and the path through it.

One of the leaders of the drive to reclaim the park was Officer Coleen Goldston of the Troy Police Department. According to Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian, “A leader is only as good as the people being led and I have the great fortune to have Officer Coleen Goldston in our police ranks. Through Officer Goldston’s efforts in community policing, we’ve seen many improvements throughout the city. Officer Goldston has the appreciation of the entire city of Troy for this outstanding project.”

For more information on the Troy Weed and Seed site and its improvements, contact Officer Goldston at 518-270-4689 or colleen.goldston@troyny.gov.

If you’d like information about how your community can get CPTED training, contact Sarita Coletrane at NCPC, 202-261-4162, or coletrane@ncpc.org.

BENEFITS OF NCPC’S CPTED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

CPTED can be useful wherever people are interested in improving their quality of life and making their community a safer, more vibrant place to live. If you want to improve your community, then the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design course is for you!

This training course is available as a basic course and as an advanced course. CPTED theories contend that law enforcement officers, architects, city planners, landscape and interior designers, and resident volunteers can create a climate of safety in a community right from the start. CPTED’s goal is to prevent crime through designing a physical environment that positively influences human behavior. It is based on four principles: natural access control, natural surveillance, territoriality, and maintenance. NCPC’s course helps participants put the theories behind CPTED into action for their communities leaving each community with an action plan to follow. There are benefits for all stakeholders within the community including law enforcement, municipal leaders, business owners, architects and city planners, and community residents.

Community residents will have

• Opportunities to play meaningful roles in community crime prevention
• Improved sense of security and quality of life through reduced fear of crime
• Fewer crimes committed in neighborhoods and fewer victimizations of residents
• Increased interaction among residents and stronger neighborhood bonds
• New crime prevention and problem-solving skills
• Enhanced knowledge of city government agencies and other resources

Municipal leadership will see

• Less crime in neighborhoods and business areas
• Increased collaboration among city agencies to improve public safety
• More revenue from safer and busier business districts
• Improved perceptions of safety and livability in public areas and neighborhoods
• Enhanced consideration of public safety in planning, development, and redevelopment projects
• Efficient application of local laws and procedures to address crime and quality of life
• Increased use of public parks and recreation facilities by residents made safer by CPTED strategies

Law Enforcement will benefit from

• Less crime in neighborhoods and business areas
• Increased opportunities to develop crime prevention partnerships with residents
• Enhanced crime prevention and problem-solving skills for officers
• Sustainable links with planning, development, code enforcement, and other local agencies
• Clarification and action on neighborhood priorities related to crime and quality of life
• Opportunities to play meaningful roles in community crime prevention
• Identification of potential crime problems in the community before they become serious
• New crime prevention and problem-solving initiatives

Business leaders/owners will gain

• Safer locations that are more attractive to customers and employees
• Enhanced problem-solving partnerships with local government and community members
• Skills to recognize potential problems in the business districts before they become serious

Planners/architects will gain

• CPTED is recognized as an acceptable component of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or Green Building
• A holistic approach to the development and planning process
• Increased collaboration between city agencies, businesses, and communities to improve public safety
• To schedule a workshop for your community or to get additional information, contact Sarita Coletrane at NCPC, 202-261-4162, or coletrane@ncpc.org.