This is officially my first post for Safe Pathways and a roadmap of what’s ahead. It seems extremely fitting that I begin with the first opening sentence from a book I’m reading titled Healing Spaces – The Science of Place and Well-Being.
“This is a turning point in the course of healing when you go from the dark side to the light, when your interest in the world revives and when despair gives way to hope.”
I’m excited to embark on a new journey during my semi-retirement, and one that will continue to drive my passion for the built environment. During the last four decades, I have enjoyed my work immensely and travelled near and far. While my first 20 years were grounded in crime prevention and security, the last 20 have been focused on co-creating safe and healthy communities.
If one quote could sum it all up, it would be this one by Henri Nouwen.
“Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another.”
I’ve been saying for quite a few years now that most of the issues we now face in cities have converged. Various crimes, mental health, addictions and homelessness are now common in every community throughout our country.
So how do we go about changing the trajectory we’re on?
The only way forward is to collaborate with one another and begin working upstream!
The Public Health Association of British Columbia defines this as “a proactive approach that addresses root causes of health issues (known as the social determinants of health) before they manifest as illness or crisis.”
How can we begin working upstream?
For those of you I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with over the years, you already know the answer. The well-known author and urbanist, Jane Jacobs, describes it best.
“You don’t really get a clear picture until you get out of theory-land and get into the streets for a closer look.”
Where should our focus begin?
Let’s start with our future leaders, our youth. It will be empowering for all of us, and especially for them.
I encourage you to take a tour of my new website and think about where you might fit in. Are you up for the challenge, and can we collaborate in co-creating safer and healthier communities for our youth and generations that follow?
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