User:Urban walker/sandbox

Park Design and Public Safety
More than 80% of the U.S. population now lives in urban areas. Parks are part of the urban infrastructure: for physical activity, for families and communities to gather and socialize, or for a simple respite. Research reveals that people who exercise outdoors in green-space derive greater mental health benefits. Providing activities for all ages, abilities and income levels is important for the physical and mental well-being of the public.

Park Safety
Parks need to feel safe for people to use them. Research shows that perception of safety can be more significant than crime statistics. Statistics may not adequately report what is occurring in a park. Many crimes, particularly sexual assault, are under-reported. Also, If a park is avoided statistics don't necessarily provide that information. An unsafe park can become a detriment to a neighborhood or town, not an asset. If citizens perceive it as unsafe, they won't go in.

There are a number of features that contribute to whether or not a park feels safe. The physical design of a park, with an open and welcoming entry, good visibility (sight lines), appropriate lighting and signage make a difference. Park maintenance, programming and community involvement are also key. Project for Public Spaces provides information, based on a report by Toronto Parks and Recreation entitled Planning, Designing and Maintaining Safer Parks,

Women as a Measure of Safety
At the national level, the standard for safety in Parks is increasingly measured by whether women feel safe in that particular location. This was originally identified by the urban sociologist William H Whyte, in his studies decades ago in New York. Research reveals that women have a different sense of safety compared to men, whether they are walking in their neighborhood or in a park. Dan Biederman, President of the Bryant Park Corp. stated "Women pick up on visual cues of disorder better than men do.... And if women don't see other women, they tend to leave." Whether or not a woman feels safe can determine how much physical activity she has and if it will reach the recommended level for good health and disease prevention..