IntroductionPrint

​​Increase opportunities for people to keep an eye on each other by creating environments with high visitation and visibility. ​​

A safe public space is one where there is passive surveillance, meaning it is a place where people can easily see and be seen. This visibility helps visitors to identify safety issues quickly and increases the chance of assistance if there is any trouble. Opportunities for crime are therefore minimized, giving the users of the space greater confidence and sense of safety.

The notion of see and be seen in a space is often known as surveillance, and it comes in two forms: passive and active. Passive surveillance leverages design principles such as layout and activity selection to encourage the public to look out for one another. A safe environment should implement these techniques as much as possible before resorting to active surveillance. On the other hand, active surveillance deliberately dedicates personnel or mechanisms to watch the surroundings, such as security officers or Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras.

The idea of passive surveillance is one of the fundamental components of safe design, and can be amplified through many of the other principles mentioned in this guide.

You can refer to the Safety Design Summary by Site Type section to read more additional site-specific guidelines on visibility and passive surveillance, 


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