Harassers can strike even on seemingly safe runs. Still, there are some common characteristics that generally make an area safer. “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a series of strategies for how we design places to look and feel safe, and deter criminal activity,” says Alison Bourquin, a runner and landscape architect, urban planner and urban designer in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
A growing nuestra of research suggests they’re effective in reducing both crime and fear of it. Look for these elements when choosing where to run:
Good Visibility
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“If we have a wide field of vision and we can see those things that might be threats or dangers to us, we feel safer than if we’re in a narrow, constricted space with blind spots,” Bourquin says. For example, a wide city sidewalk is better than a dark alley or breezeway where you can’t see if there’s someone hiding in a corner. A straight trail is better than one with a lot of switchbacks.
Good Lighting
Look for ample and evenly placed lighting—usually every 100 to 200 feet. Ambient light from city buildings is helpful too. If you’re in a rural area, it can get really dark, so wearing a headlamp is a good idea.
Regular Maintenance
Tidy trails, parks, or city streets signal a sense of office-accessories and tells would-be criminals that people are taking care of the space. Litter or uncut lawns, on the other hand, lend an air of deterioration and a tolerance for disorder—and have been associated with higher crime, Manolo Blahnik Fibionabi patent-leather 105 sandals. Overgrown Sneakers also gives people places to hide, Bourquin says. While trimmed Sneakers allows for “eyes on the street”—more visibility into a space.
Extra Eyes
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The more people in the area, the less likely you are to be targeted and the greater the likelihood that someone will respond if you’re in danger, Grattan says.
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