Can Planning Offer a Line of Defense Against Terrorism?

Jon Coaffee, a professor of urban geography in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, takes to the pages of The Washington Post to make an appeal for planners to prepare for "a new onslaught of urban terrorism."

"State security services have long been occupied with defending vulnerable urban spaces against attack," writes Coafee, "but until recently, the style of terrorist attack — the targeting of high-profile commercial or government buildings — seldom affected everyday city life." But a recent string of terrorist attacks in Europe has relied on relatively low-tech devices like trucks and knives.

According to Coafee, "the modus operandi of terrorists has changed significantly in recent years and counter-responses, including urban planning, must adapt to this new reality."

The idea of preparing for the perpetual threat of terrorism is a challenging proposition at best. It's impossible, according to Coafee,"to perfectly balance urban aesthetics and livability within secure design, just as it’s impossible to prevent every kind of attack in any open society." Still, he writes, measures can be taken.

Planetizen correspondent Irvin Dawid has noted some of the public safety infrastructure that works to deter terrorism, such as sidewalk bollards. In the past, anti-terrorism planning has also focused on transit and drinking water supplies.