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Instead of pushing the FBI to relocate away from a Metro station, why not push the FBI to design a better space that enhances the security of a building without totally sacrificing livability of the surrounding area? For example, landscape designers can use topography adjustments, parks, plazas and other types of greenery to enhance the security of a site while providing a positive benefit to the surrounding area. Speed bumps, winding roadways and narrow paths prevent vehicles from unsafely accelerating near the building, but also calm traffic for pedestrians and cyclists. And although moving a site near a residential or mixed-use area has some security-related drawbacks, it also puts more eyes on the street as informal surveillance to aid in formal security measures.

But instead of emphasizing the importance of good design, this blog post appears to take the dim and almost self-serving view that poor design is to be taken for granted, and so as a result, we should simply push people out to spaces that accommodate or excuse poor design choices. The people who live and work in and around these sites deserve better.

by Scoot on Nov 21, 2011 4:02 pm • link • report