How Safe and Secure Public Spaces Help Everyone

[Cherie Mclaughlin]

In daily life, just as in business, safety should be our top priority. While we know what that means for us as individuals, special care needs to be taken when designing community spaces that are open to the public. It's important that everyone has access to safe, secure, and accessible public spaces.

Keeping Spaces Safe and Accessible
While a specialized space such as a factory typically requires health and safety training before allowing employees to navigate hazardous areas, communal spaces are open to an untrained and varied set of people. As such, any dangers need to be clearly marked or eliminated entirely before letting the community in. Floors should be made as level as possible to avoid trips and falls, elevated spaces should have railings, and emergency exits should be plentiful and clearly marked.

A public area isn't safe unless it's safe for everyone. People with disabilities should be able to navigate and utilize your space as well, so certain accommodations for them are not optional. Every staircase should have a ramp or elevator as an alternative, rather than trapping people in wheelchairs on the ground floor. Fire alarms should include flashing lights in addition to a loud and distinct sound so that people with hearing or visual impairments can still be aware when they're activated.

Lighting for Safety and Security
If your public area has outdoor space that's used at night, such as courtyards or parking garages, quality lighting is vital for safety as well as security. Dark spaces make car accidents, accidental falls, and other dangerous situations more common. A well-lit zone prevents such accidents while also deterring criminal activity in such an exposed spot. Check out these options to see what works for you.

Protecting the Public
Conflict and complications are inevitable when the entire community is welcomed into a space. In addition to the above safety measures, security features are essential to keeping everybody safe and free to conduct their personal business. Keeping people safe is often a matter of legality rather than simply decency.

The mere presence of surveillance cameras in a space is often sufficient to deter crime in that area, while making sure that they're functional and pointed at the right places will provide valuable evidence in the event a problem does occur. Security staff, such as guards at shopping malls or bouncers in bars, might be necessary depending on how chaotic the place tends to get.

Welcoming the Community
With safety and security considerations handled, the space can be opened to the public for whatever purposes you intended. Communal places such as community centers and public parks are great spaces for networking. Whether it's forming a club with others who share your special interests or finding like-minded people to collaborate with in business matters, it's difficult to beat going directly where the community congregates.

Bashful individuals may have difficulty jumping right into meeting new people. Introverted people who are not yet comfortable making the first networking move can recruit more gregarious friends and family to practice introducing themselves to potential new connections, business or otherwise.

A safe and secure public space is important to an interconnected community. Keeping the place accessible and well-lit will assure potential visitors that your venue is welcoming and protected while protecting you and your interests from any social, ethical, or legal troubles.

Image via Pexels