WUFII/2004 URBAN SPACE AND SECURITY POLICIES - between Inclusion and Privatisation Barcelona 14 September 2004: A cycle of decay is typical of urban environments when fear of crime takes root. Spontaneous reactions by the population, the moving out of investments and business, as well as difficulties for service delivery can all contribute to large parts of the cities loosing vitality, to ghettoisation and associated stigmatisation. This cycle of decay is difficult to contrast without a determined effort tackling the various factors at play. Public policies as well as resident’s initiatives world-wide have developed approaches and tools to address insecurity. Also, self-protection and the creation of gated communities, while representing a solution for some, can compound the problem. During a networking event organised by the UN-HABITAT Safer Cities Programme, the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne, in Switzerland, and Small Arms Survey, Geneva, cities and researchers will today look into the linkages between urban space and urban safety, exchanging and discussing good cities practices and research methodologies. The focus will be on how traditional planning tools and interventions, from urban renewal to urban planning processes and to policing are incorporating local safety concerns and developing tools to address the priorities of different groups of residents, such as women and children, slum dwellers or inner city residents. Also, methodologies for the analysis and identification of safety issues in urban space will be presented, pointing at their potential contribution to decision making and action. From the area based interventions in Durban, where safety is an integral component of settlement upgrading and renewal, to the integrated management of public space being implemented in Bogotá, to the involvement of women in safety planning city-wide in Moscow, urban planners and residents are inventing new integrated ways of approaching key concerns, such as safety, as part of broader urban planning processes. The discussion is part of the Safer Cities Programme work towards integrated crime prevention strategies at local level, which build on the three pillars of law enforcement, social inclusion and physical planning interventions, founded in community empowerment and participation and municipal capacity building. The event will inform the development of a research initiative that the three institutions are launching focusing on neighbourhoods in Barcelona and Bogotá, looking at what are the innovative practices around urban safety by public and private actors. The research is one activity of the network on safety and urban space, that is being constituted to exchange practices and experiences, identify issues for further action, and develop tools and approaches in support of cities facing insecurity world-wide. For further information, please contact: Sharad Shankardass, Spokesperson & Head, Press & Media Relations Unit or Ms. Zahra A. Hassan, Tel: (254 20) 623153, 623151, Fax: (254 20) 624060, E-mail: habitat.press@unhabitat.org, Website: www.unhabitat.org Or Mr. Daniel Lewis, Chief Post Conflict and Safety Section, Tel: (254 20) 623826