March 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 65

out of your environmental design
to physically limit the access and
egress points. This practice can also
guide users, both positive and negative, to a specific direction within
the park. Controlling access makes
negative users feel uncomfortable
and less apt to commit a crime.
2. Surveillance - Involves the elimination of physical barriers that
inhibit the casual observer from
scrutinizing behaviors inside a
space. Surveillance is enhanced
by lighting, proper placement of
shrubbery, well-placed windows,
elimination of physical barriers,
and architecture and social commitment.
3. Territorial Reinforcement - This
concept involves facilitating the
process of turning an area over
to legitimate users who will take
ownership of the space and care
for it. This helps eliminate or reduce nuisance behaviors because
bad actors using the space receive
increased monitoring.
3a. Activity Support - Probably the
biggest advocate, especially to a
parks system, is the amount of
space you have to add positive
actors to your park. Get creative!
Engage with your community
and get a feel for what they want
to see or do, and implement it
into your project.
4. Maintenance and Management -
Keeping areas " clean and green " is
the minimum standard for scheduled maintenance. Have a plan
and take the extra steps to create
a clean, well-kept area for your patrons. Do not let things like graffiti,
garbage and/or damaged property be seen by your positive users.
Have staff locate, clean and fix
issues before your park is open or
highly populated.
" There are strong overlaps and
synergies among the four CPTED

principles, " says the NCPC. " These
have been identified separately for
convenience and clarity of understanding. In practice, it may be useful to see all four principles as different facets of a single technique
for dealing with the security of the
physical environment. "

users to the area, and they will
have a sense of pride and be invested in seeing that it stays in
good condition.
* Use Your Community - Most
communities have some kind of
nonprofit group that is dedicated to
the stability and future of the com-

It is important to find the proper balance between
the desire for seclusion and the aspect of safety.

Overcoming Obstacles
It is especially difficult for a park
district to incorporate some of these
principles for a variety of reasons, but
it is possible to be successful. If you
have a 5,000-acre park space, do not
try to fix your issues with one giant
project. Break your park into segments and focus your efforts.
It is important to find the proper
balance between the desire for seclusion and the aspect of safety. Many
people enjoy the parks as a way to
reconnect with nature and enjoy the
peace of being alone outside. If you
wipe out half the trees in your park
to have open sightlines throughout an
entire hiking trail, some of that connection may be lost.
Most park districts will not have
the funding to generate huge capital
projects to fulfill CPTED requirements. Here are a few ways you can
attain your goal:
* Get Creative! - If you are having an issue with graffiti in a certain area, reach out to local artists
and turn the area into something
artistic. Have them create a mural in the area where the problem
is occurring. They will use their
own supplies, it will add positive

munity. These organizations can
help generate revenue through additional grant funding or fundraising. Get them involved and keep
everyone engaged!
* Cultivate Sponsors and Donors
- Let people in the community
know your plans! A local company or private donor may want to
get involved. For example, you
may be working to fix a picnic
area where a couple who are donors became engaged, and they
want to front the funding for the
project. Remind people why they
love the park and why they want
to preserve it.
CPTED will never serve as the
only source of crime prevention or
take the place of traditional policing
strategies, but implementing the procedures can lead to further success
for your organization. For further
information about CPTED, contact
Michael Cannavino at michael.cannavino@gmail.com.
Michael Cannavino, CPRP, is Assistant
Terminal Agency Coordinator and
Communications Training Officer for
Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Department
(michael.cannavino@gmail.com).

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Parks & Recreation

March 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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