Department of Public Safety

Students from the school of architecture at Washington University's Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Design presented recommendations from their groundbreaking Design Out Crime initiative to City officials and the general public last month. The initiative was organized by Washington University, the Office of the Mayor, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and UM-St. Louis Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Pictured above:  Instructor Andrew Faulkner and his students wrap up the meeting.

The initiative's objective is to employ promising and practical design and place-making strategies to reduce crime, reduce perceptions of crime, improve connectivity, and improve the physical environment in public spaces.

The twelve students are enrolled in instructor Andrew Faulkner's spring semester course on "Community Dynamics." The students broke into three groups: 

• addressing theft and promoting safety in retail space
• promote people's sense of well being and reduce risk of crimes of opportunity in large multi-family apartment complexes
• how design could reduce risks of loitering and car cloutings at parking facilities

With the help of Mike Deckard from UMSL, the Building Division and the Problem Property Unit of the City Counselor's Office, certain sites were selected to study.

The presentations were specific to the sites that were studied, but have broader applicability to places and properties through the City. Recommendations pertained to lighting, landscaping, signage, monitoring, fencing and the like.

The property owners welcomed the students looking at the problems from this architectural design angle. As the property owners implement some of the changes, they will keep the students informed. The students in turn will then be able to determine which changes will have made the biggest impact.

 

Department of Public Safety

City of St. Louis