Integrating Security-by-Design into Sustainable Urban Planning for Safer, More Accessible, and Livable Public Spaces

Serena Orlandi, Danila Longo and Beatrice Turillazzi ()
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Serena Orlandi: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Danila Longo: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Beatrice Turillazzi: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: This paper investigates how security-by-design principles can be integrated into urban planning to achieve a balance between protective measures and the openness, accessibility, and aesthetic quality of public spaces. Addressing a current gap in urban design practice, we introduce a new evaluative framework—the SAFE-CITIES “Atlas 4 Safe Public Spaces”—that embeds European policy guidelines, CPTED concepts, and New European Bauhaus values into an integrated security-by-design assessing tool. Drawing on the Horizon Europe SAFE-CITIES project (Grant Agreement No. 101073945), the research combines theoretical insights from EU policy documents and design principles with a comparative analysis of two case studies (Barcelona and Copenhagen) to inform practical strategies for integrating safety considerations into the design process. This approach identifies key operational principles that illustrate how safety measures—if considered from the early-stage planning—can be integrated without compromising openness and livability of public, illustrating how early-stage planning can incorporate security measures while sustaining social interaction and community life. Overall, the findings show that safety can be built into public space design from the outset, reinforcing community engagement and resilience, and the proposed Atlas framework offers planners a concrete tool to align security objectives with on-the-ground urban design practice.

Keywords: security-by-design in public spaces; inclusive and resilient cities; Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED); New European Bauhaus (NEB); co-design and participatory planning; public space accessibility and safety; Horizon Europe SAFE-CITIES project; SAFE-CITIES Atlas 4 Safe Public Spaces—guiding framework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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