Eyes on the Street

"Vigilant old ladies: another good example of the value of neighborhood social capital (and urban living)."

Peter Vaernet, aka the "Mad Viking", transformed a pocket park known for drugs and violence into a safe, active place by bringing lots of women and children into the park.

Philip Kennicott decries the growing number of "windows" in new buildings that are covered from the beginning with advertisements, eliminating their usefulness as "eyes on the street."

Tim Tielman, executive director of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo takes a look at the new Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the terrible lack of "eyes on the street" there.

Urban designer Susan Braun points the finger at pharmacies and other suburban retailers who intentionally break the connection with the street by blocking up their windows.

A columnist in Saskatoon, after a robbery at his office, takes a look at CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design).