Building Secure Yet Welcoming Public Spaces

How can cities better protect people in public spaces from vehicle attacks and other threats? Writing in Bloomberg CityLab, John Surico attempts to unpack this question in the wake of the deadly attack in New Orleans, in which a truck was used to kill over a dozen people as protective bollards were being replaced.

According to Rob Reiter, a security consultant who specializes in vehicle attacks, says cities should more carefully evaluate potential “collision points” where pedestrian-heavy corridors intersect with roadways open to vehicle traffic. Reiter points to New York City’s low-tech intervention for New Year’s Eve: “dozens of garbage and dump trucks laden with sand, parked bumper-to-bumper to block any intrusions,” providing a practically impenetrable perimeter.

Outside of special events, cities can use “sculptural barriers,” trees, and other decorative — but solid — items to create a “positive perimeter” that offers protection without creating a hostile environment. 

Surico concludes that “The long-term benefits of security improvements can’t necessarily be counted in just lives saved. Just as a community that’s more hospitable to older adults or children is more hospitable to everyone else, too, making spaces better protected from vehicle attacks can also just make them better, period.”