location

Washington, DC

DAtes

September 2019

CLIENT

National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC)

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We hear the news: well used and active public spaces are increasingly vulnerable to a variety of threats. Incidents in Berlin, Nice, London, Boston, and New York City shock us and increasingly make citizens feel unsafe, even while doing ordinary activities. As planners and designers, our responsibility is to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all—but how do we keep people safe in these public spaces while ensuring they remain active social places that foster civic engagement and openness? This question was the central discussion point for a public panel discussion and a symposium that represented the perspectives of urban planners, first responders, and landscape architects.

On September 24, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), in partnership with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), hosted Open to the Public: Rethinking Security & Access in Public Space at the U.S. Navy Memorial Naval Heritage Center’s Burke Theater. Jess Zimbabwe from Plot Strategies moderated the session that featured Susan Silberberg from CivicMoxie, Kris Cline from Federal Protective Service, and Gary Hilderbrand of Reed Hilderbrand.

Then, On Wednesday, September 25, NCPC hosted a symposium that engaged the federal, local, and private design communities to better understand the changing threat environment and security expectations in the public realm. Invited attendees included intelligence/security personnel, first responders, security experts, planning and design experts, and other key federal and local stakeholders. The invitation-only event allowed attendees to comfortably discuss security issues in a setting of peers. Three panels discussed how to make our public spaces safer, better understand threats, and share responsibility and appropriate levels of physical security interventions. The following pages summarize the symposium through Key Takeaways from each panel. Plot Strategies’ Jess Zimbabwe moderated all the panels.

Read a recap or watch a video of the public panel, download the report, or follow the Parks & Open Space element update.