Post by Strong Towns

What if one of the most important parts of public safety is just ordinary people being out on the street? Jane Jacobs wrote about this in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, arguing that a well-used city street is more likely to be safe, while a deserted one is more likely to be unsafe. She was talking about the everyday life of a place: someone walking to the store, a shopkeeper opening for the day, a parent pushing a stroller, a neighbor watching from an apartment window, or a few people heading out for the evening. These people make up what Jacobs called “eyes on the street.” Many of those helping keep order, she wrote, aren’t even conscious that they’re doing it. Eyes on the street don’t appear just because a sidewalk exists. A blank wall, a hostile crossing, a long stretch of parking, or a block with nowhere to go can keep the street empty. The safety comes from giving ordinary people ordinary reasons to be there.