. How Safe is Weston Road? Whose Safety?

Fatima Nawaz (Criminology, Law, and Society // UT, Mississauga)

Who is involved, who is represented and who counts?

Finding #1: A gap between facts and perception.

When combined with income demographics, the map shows a pattern of low-income residences surrounding a vulnerable crime hotspot (Fig. 2).
As a designated neighbourhood improvement area (NIA), official media sources further frame Weston as a socially violent and dangerous place to live and visit.²


The map shows areas in Weston characterized by income level and crime density.

Darker areas represent lower median household incomes. 

The size of the points represents the frequency of crimes and the colours classify the types of crimes. 

Areas around Lawrence Ave. W. and Weston Rd. have lower median household incomes and are characterized by higher frequencies of assaults.

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For more on who lives on Weston Road

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“I think these concerns about safety in Toronto are probably unduly influenced by the media or reputation.”
- Reddit“  “These outsiders love to push a terrible narrative on minority areas.”
- Reddit “Personally, I’d like to see Weston focus not only introducing exciting and interesting events but to also focus on the NEEDS of this community”

- Facebook

Finding #2: The spatial features identified along Weston Road support residents’ lived experiences of safety.

The spatial features map shows numerous streetlights, green spaces, and benches along Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West (Fig. 4). 

These interventions support greater visibility (Fig. 5) and promote eyes on the street by allowing residents to gather. 

The same can be said about the parking lots that line Weston Road, as they improve safety during the day by providing informal gathering space. At night, however, they provide unmonitored spaces for loitering.



As a result, the spatial configuration of Weston Road suggests that greater attention is being paid to improving safety through environmental design, which is rooted in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) methodology.3 

CPTED was influenced by Oscar Newman’s ideas on territoriality, which he defined as establishing ownership 
and clearly defined uses of public space to “design out crime.”4

CPTED-informed design is seen along Weston Road, which may influence the differing perceptions 
of safety among the official media and residents’ experiences.

. Recognitional Justice

Acknowledges diverse users of public space

Finding #3: The gap between lived and official perceptions of safety calls into question: whose safety is excluded and included?
The Weston Residents Association conducts meetings regarding safety in the community. Its most recent meeting involved discussions of proposed environmental changes that align with CPTED interventions, such as a porchlight campaign to improve visibility at night.


CPTED is criticized; however,

because its interventions often address crime as an environmental rather than a social problem. It has been established that a stronger focus on social programs and affordable housing is of greater need to residents (See Public Discourse & Statistics for more). 
As a result, the effectiveness of CPTED interventions on Weston Road may be limited. With growing public discourse around the eventual gentrification of the area, safety concerns from both residents and the official media will also be affected.

Gentrification will most likely increase perceptions of and overall safety in the area, but it will also likely increase social friction because of the transition of new populations to Weston.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Giamarino, Christopher, Goh, Kian, Loukaitou-Sideris Anastasia, and Mukhija, Vinit. “Just Urban Design Scholarship? Examining Urban Design Theories Through A Justice Lens.” In Just Urban Design: The Struggle for a Public City, edited by Kian Goh, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, and Vinit Mukhija, 21-46. Massacushetts: The MIT Press, 2022.
   
   
2. Eizadirad, Ardavan. “The University as a Neoliberal and Colonizing Institute: A Spatial Case Study Analysis of the Invisible Fence Between York University and the Jane and Finch Neighbourhood in the City of Toronto.” In Decolonial Pedagogy, edited by Njoki Nathani Wane and Kimberly L. Todd, 9-34. Switzerland: Palgrave Pivot Cham, 2018.
   
   
3. Holman, Nancy, Mace, Alan, Zorloni, David, Navarrete-Hernandez, Pablo, Karlsson, Jacob, and Pani Erica. “Race-based readings of safety in public space in Milan, the challenge for urban design.” European Urban and Regional Studies 30, no. 3 (2022): 282-296.
   
   
4. Holman, Nancy, Mace, Alan, Zorloni, David, Navarrete-Hernandez, Pablo, Karlsson, Jacob, and Pani Erica. “Race-based readings of safety in public space in Milan, the challenge for urban design.” European Urban and Regional Studies 30, no. 3 (2022): 282-296.