Blogging about defensive architecture and police in Victoria, B.C.
Since the 1980s, Victoria has subjected new buildings to "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" (CPTED) principles. When that phrase was invented in the United States in 1971, it was with discrimination in mind. This post looks at Victoria's adoption of CPTED, and how it's shaped the city.
Read MoreDuring the week of September 11th, 2017, I took photos of every “no loitering,” “no trespassing,” “no camping,” and “private property” sign I could find in downtown Victoria. I’ve mapped those signs here.
Read MoreCity staff’s latest proposal would require people camping in parks to move at least 100 metres away from their campsite after they’ve packed up in the morning, and to find a new campsite for the following night that’s the same distance away. Staff say these changes, and others, will “benefit park users in general.” But these changes aren’t for the benefit of everyone — they will negatively affect and further marginalize people who rely on our city parks to stay alive.
Read MoreThis post provides an update on the creeping progress of government-sanctioned defensive architecture. In April I wrote about how provincial government agencies are working with the police to come up with ways to displace people. One of those agencies is B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office: defenders of deer, protectors of porcupines, and… shredder of shrubs?
Read MoreJames Bay is getting a public library in 2018, fulfilling a long-standing promise from the City of Victoria. Public libraries are well-used by homeless Victorians, and I expect the James Bay branch will be no exception. What’s interesting is that the library will be right next to a new, privately owned “public plaza.” Public libraries may be for everyone, but unfortunately our “public plazas” are not.
Read MoreAfter Tent City was shut down, the B.C. government rented fences and hired security to close off the property for ten months, at a cost of $600,000. That’s interesting for two reasons. First, you can buy lots of things for $600,000, and second, they hid those costs from reporters and the public.
Read MoreWhen the Central Baptist Church built a wall to keep people out of a sheltered space alongside the church, the wall was quickly spray painted with the words “Hate Gate? WWJD?” Some Victorians were aghast. Who would do such a thing? Who would build a wall to displace — wait. They were mad about the spray paint?
Read MoreWalking around town it’s obvious that a great deal of energy has been expended on policing skateboarders. They’re banned from certain areas, and everywhere you look metal obstacles have been installed to prevent grinding on ledges, railings, and benches.
Read MoreCrime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a city and VicPD-endorsed policy that recommends using fences, rocks, lighting, and surveillance to make spaces unusable or inaccessible to poor and homeless Victorians. VicPD reports show that CPTED is not about “crime,” but about pushing people further to the margins. And the provincial government is an active participant.
Read MoreWhen the province announced it was building a playground on the Tent City property, it said the soil needed to be removed to deal with “contaminants” including methamphetamines. The media duly reported that information, and why not? We can’t have children running around on meth-y soil in the Garden City. They might get a contact high!
Read MoreWhen City Council updated its parks bylaws, it banned camping in playgrounds. Since that time, some members of the public have been demanding playgrounds in order to displace homeless campers from Tent City and other locations.
Read MoreAt the risk of being unpopular, let me suggest the following: the two proposed play areas for downtown Victoria – at the former Tent City site, and Reeson Park, a.k.a. the Whale Wall – are first and foremost about displacing poor and homeless Victorians. Creating space for children and families is a distant and secondary goal.
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