Safety, social safety, fire safety, traffic safety, crime prevention, safe living, living, working, playing, safe being, urban planning, architecture, maintaince. Safety and crime prevention has become a major concern of city authorities because of the growth of what is perceived as eminently urban delinquency: burglary, car theft, pick- pocketing, personal assaults such as mugging and rape, drug dealing, and violence associated with street children. The residents in poor urban districts and informal areas such as slums and shanty towns, appear as both the perpetrators and victims of this situation. Several studies have shown that the vulnerability of the population of informal settlements is extreme. In addition to the crimes mentioned above, there are others that result from the condition of informality itself and from the poor living conditions in the settlements. The absence of, or weakness of informal community regulations many times leads to the imposition of duties, expulsions and other forms of violence enforced by local gangs. There is also evidence that this situation cannot be improved by traditional forms of policing or by repression alone. Social integration requires a policy of crime prevention based on a judiciary and a police force able to understand the wide causes of crime in partnership with the organisations of the communities most affected by this situation. For this to be possible changes in governance and the reduction of poverty would appear to be indispensable. The Conference is expected to examine the capacity and the forms in which communities can respond to crime and insecurity. This includes the examination of relations between the condition of informality and crime prevention, for example, its meaning in terms of personal or community relations, the consequences of existing rules of behaviour, the situation of women and the existence of domestic violence. The Conference will analyse and disseminate lessons learnt from the security practices in several cities and will support and promote the adoption of best practices by those public institutions dealing with security. Safety in Urban Transport Transport is a vital component of city life. Many cities have made effective urban transportation systems their priority in terms of pricing, efficiency, investment and security. Others have decaying, underfunded and dysfunctional systems. Transport systems can contribute to the physical and functional reintegration of isolated districts into the city by improving the mobility between such districts and the city. This may require the breaking of deadlock and isolation by extending private and public transport lines. The result would be a situation in which all neighbourhoods become places of transit, where residents from all around the city are free to move without fear. Over-reliance on private cars means that transport infrastructure is constructed which creates isolated districts, not integrated with the rest of the city, generating feelings of fear and insecurity. Conventional transport planning models which focus exclusively on raising private vehicle speeds ignore the reality that most trips in the world are not made by private cars. The security of the transport system is one of the most important aspects of its functioning, and this involves two components. Firstly, the state, quality and management of infrastructure and equipment are essential to the smooth and safe mobility of vehicles, trains, trams, buses, bicycles, and other modes of transportation. Secondly is the threat to transport users from crime . Both these components effect the urban poor in particular, most frequently in developing countries where they are dependent on the cheaper means of transportation. In many cases the state of the infrastructure is so bad that it constitutes a danger to the mobility of vehicles transporting both persons and goods. Many poor people walk or use non-motorised methods of transport, which in some cities expose them to insecurities caused by traffic, poor of public lighting and insufficient police protection. Experience has shown that the relationship between the mobility of poor citizens and the day to day management of travel within urban areas has a bearing on the prevention of crime. Inefficient management and shortcomings in the security system leave the users facing the threat of criminals using the public transport system Greater consideration needs to be given to the varying needs of people when transport systems are being designed, developing concepts such as atmosphere, safety, neighbourhood and security. There should be more reliance on improving the knowledge base of mobility requirements for different classes of persons from different areas. Factors like regularity, frequency, appropriateness of timetables, and existence of evening, night and weekend services, all contribute to a sense of security on public transport. The Conference will examine global experiences in the management of transport systems and their impact on the livelihoods of the poor. Security will also be examined in terms of the location of the poor in cities, giving special attention to the needs of children, women, elderly and handicapped persons. Safety of Children and Youth in Urban Areas Young people are the most adversely affected by unemployment, which is a major cause of social exclusion and delinquency. Youths and adolescents are often the main victims of job insecurity, income insecurity, health insecurity, violence and crime. Low-income youths also suffer from inadequate education. Already disadvantaged from an early ages, many of children from poor families are likely to divert their energies into deviant behaviour, participating in gang violence, hooliganism or criminal activities.

(C) RVDB (Dr Rob A.J. van der Bijl), Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS 2003