CPTED IN ACTION: SARASOTA, FLORIDA
Please read my April 17, 2009 post, “What is CPTED, and what can it do for my municipality?,” for an overview of the CPTED program.
After the formation of a solid, working coalition between citizens, law enforcement, and planning professionals, the North Trail section of Sarasota, Florida was taken back from criminals and now enjoys social and economic vitality.
The North Trial section, which encompasses 18% of the city’s area (2.2 square miles), functions as a “gateway” to the downtown (Central Business District) and the pristine Gulf Cost beaches. Prior to municipal action in the early 1990s, visitors to Sarasota had to pass through this ramshackle area to shop in the downtown or sunbathe at the beach, where an abundance of decaying motels and businesses, built in the years post WWII, resided (Zahm et. al.).
Most of these businesses failed to improve throughout time, and thus, per the city’s Zoning Ordinance, were non-conforming uses. Due to the non-conformities, the active zoning standards “prevented or greatly increased the cost of renovating old businesses or building new ones” (Carter et al). Consequently, the economic corrosion of this area and the perception that “nobody cared” created a prime opportunity for criminals, including drugs dealers and prostitutes.
Local officials became concerned that these problems could spread to contiguous areas, possibly leading to a constant state of fear and ultimately disinvestment throughout the entire city. Public concern led to the allocation of funds through the city’s Comprehensive Growth Management Plan.
Dubbed the “North Trial Sector Study”, the city’s planning staff determined that a redevelopment of the blighted area could not proceed without an analysis of the locations and frequency of criminal activity, as conducted by law enforcement. During the formative stages of the study, an initiative, “Gateway 2000,” a collaborative effort by various community stakeholders, was already underway with the intent of outlining the revitalization of the North Trail gateway.
Naturally, both studies were thereafter meshed, and as a result, the Sarasota CPTED Task Force was born, with the goal of overseeing the creation of a revitalized North Trail, along with using it as a tool for future implementation throughout the city.
With political support, police, planners, and community stakeholders working in concert, and formal plans adopted, implementation was next.
The police began the process by “sweeping the streets” to arrest drug dealers and prostitutes. Local residents began to notice the increased police presence, and their confidence began to build. The benefits flowed before any legislative enactments were made: residents began to improve their own properties, a merchants association was created, and the city’s Governing Body allocated previously budgeted money to improve the median and sides of the gateway road (Carter et al).
In order to educate the public and garner additional support, the planning commission held eight workshops focused on a variety of issues important to the community and what they wanted to see change. Zahm et al. stated that “the major concerns identified by the public were crime (particularly prostitution), urban design (it was ugly), future land uses (more goods and services) and code enforcement (lack of maintenance. The desired future was to improve the area, not change it” (Zahm et al.).
The workshops also highlighted how proper physical and landscape design is essential to reducing the likelihood of criminal activity.
The city created a special zoning district to spur redevelopment activity, with increased pedestrian friendly initiatives and incentives for mixed-use development and innovative land uses, all of which were focused on the implementation of CPTED principals so future development could be designed to minimize the likelihood for victimization.
The zoning regulations for the new district were enacted in October 1992 and continue today. Each project, even those permitted as-of-right and variance-free, undergoes a CPTED audit by representatives of both the police department and planning commission. Applicants developing properties from scratch or rehabilitating structures are not required, however, to implement the design recommendations, but there are tax incentives provided to encourage conformance. The CPTED review follows its three overarching tenets: natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement, along with regular maintenance (Zahm et al.). Thankfully, most property owners, probably sensing the potential for immense benefits, complied (Carter et al).
The CPTED auditors check for appropriate exterior lighting, proper care of landscaping to prevent hiding spots for criminals, incentives for constructing patios and balconies (to increase eyes on the street), and perhaps the biggest incentive for developers: a builder may exceed the maximum height permitted within the district only if the building is mixed-use and includes residential on the third level (retail on the bottom floor, commercial on the second). High traffic areas, including parking and pedestrian dominated areas, are scrutinized in order to minimize the risk of victimization. For example, parking lot landscaping “must either be of low height (a maximum of 2.5 feet) or use trees with canopies having a minimum clearance of 5 feet, to eliminate hiding places” (MRSC).
Each individual criterion adds up to the net effect of reducing the likelihood of victimization through minimizing the opportunity of criminal activity. From its institution in the early 1990s, it has worked.
Results? Issues raised? Criticisms?
Stay tuned..
Sources:
Carter, Sherry, Stanley L. Carter, and Andrew L. Dannenberg. “Zoning Out Crime and Improving Community Health in Sarasota, Florida: ‘Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.’” American Journal of Public Health Vol 93 (Sep2003).
Zahm, Diane; Sherry Carter; Al Zelinka. “Safe Place Design” Transitions 1997.
Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC).
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