Organisers:

Muhammed Ziya Paköz (PhD), Abdullah Gül University Faculty of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning, muhammed.pakoz@agu.edu.tr

Ahmet Gün, Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture, ahmetgun@itu.edu.tr

Ahmet Baş, Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning, basa@itu.edu.tr

Jane Jacobs’ perspectives on urban planning, which she developed taking American cities into account, and her criticism to “orthodox Urbanism” has remained on the planning agenda for more than 50 years. Jacobs’ suggestions on issues of safety in urban public spaces, which she discussed in ‘streets and sidewalks’, were based on the observation of ordinary crimes in American 20^th century cities. These observations triggered the development of planning and design principles that aim to prevent crime and minimize fear of crime in cities.

In the 21st century, globalization penetrates the life of cities in multiple ways, and cities become more open to global opportunities and threats. In our times, public spaces have become more vulnerable as a result of the globalization of crime, violence and conflict.

Violence resulting from drug trafficking, gender inequality, and religious intolerance are prevalent in different urban contexts. It seems safe to assert that issues of safety in today’s cities are more complex, and demand a more detailed exploration. Moreover, the level and type of violence and safety issues may vary according to different cultural and political backgrounds, while Jane Jacobs’ ideas were based on a single cultural and political perspective.

Therefore we need to reconsider her perspective on safety in public spaces having this framework in mind. How is it possible “to keep the city safe” from “barbarism” and “fear” and provide “public peace” in the urban areas of 21st century?

The aim of this track is to examine Jane Jacobs ‘s perspectives on safety in public spaces in terms of the deep transformation and re-organization of cities of the 21st century. Within this scope, we wish to:

• Reconsider safety parameters in urban planning and design in the context of current crime and violence of different kinds,
• Investigate the potentials and weaknesses of new communication technologies in terms of safety,
• Rethink the concept of ‘neighborhood’ and discuss urban publics spaces from a safety perspective,
• Discuss what are current safety issues in contemporary cities and what could be new planning and design tools for preventing fear of crime and violence
• Analyze different cases around the world within Jacobs’ perspective on safety and bring new perspectives to the planning agenda.

These are the topics we expect to discuss in the track.