Managing Towards Sustainable City: Public Participation for Safety and Security

Globalization and urbanization have inevitably changed the social structures of many cities. In parallel with impressive economic and social development, the rise of crime rate could not be separated. Efforts and measures to curb these social problems are many, the government policies and strategies, through built environment design and public participation. This paper discusses the role of public participation and argues that it should be strengthened to achieve safe and livable city. It covers the social changes in the process of urban evolution, and how public participation could facilitate measures for safety and security in effort to create safe and sustainable city, free from crime. In light of current issues of increasing crime due to globalization and socio-economic changes, this paper explores government, NGOs and public efforts in guarding the safety and security, especially in urban areas. It explores the various strategies to enhance the level of safety and security in Malaysia. This paper proposes a higher premium to be put in empowering the public in decision making and government activities as propagated in Local Agenda 21 for sustainable and safe city. It is suggested in this paper, the traditional way of creating strong attachment and sense of belonging through participation could be considered as one important method to create safe and secure neighborhood. Public participation in decision making and planning could ease the burden faced by local authorities. The persistence of resilience of community efforts to make their own space of the city more livable is imperative, considering the increasing probability for them to face daily incidence of crime. Community empowerment will, in itself, produce the kind of defensive barrier for any unwanted activities to penetrate.