Finding a balance between security and freedom is key
Bourduas points to the Times Square reconstruction, rebuilt by the architecture firm Snøhetta between 2010 and 2017, as an example of urban design with security in mind. The reconstruction has transformed a congested intersection into a European-style plaza with about a hectare of space accessible only to pedestrians. The design includes five types of sleek, long granite benches, designed to act like rocks in a stream.
Public art, street furniture and other installations, such as large concrete planters, can also serve as subtle deterrents to hostile vehicle attacks. In Ottawa, a good example of public art that serves as a deterrent is the Stanley Cup sculpture on Sparks Street near Elgin Street. It’s a piece of popular artwork, but at the same time, it acts as a visual barrier to the pedestrian mall.
Jon Coaffee, a professor of urban geography at the University of Warwick and director of the Resilient Cities Laboratory, points to the British soccer club Arsenal’s stadium in north London as an example of preventive landscaping. The stadium is surrounded by giant cannons — symbols of the team — concrete benches and huge concrete letters spelling out the team’s name. The design has been lauded as a model for incorporating “vehicle exclusion” security into its landscaping. The concrete letters act as bollards, and they’re big enough and strong enough to stop a seven-tonne truck, the size of an average commercial delivery truck.
New York City police recommended including steel bollards, designed to withstand a collision from a vehicle travelling 50 km/ h, in the Times Square redesign. The bollards were credited with minimizing fatalities in May 2017 when a car jumped the curb near 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue and barrelled down the sidewalk, killing one person and injuring 22. In January, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that more than 1,000 similar bollards will be installed to protect pedestrians.
Bollards are effective, but they can’t be everywhere, Bourduas said.
“Criminals and terrorists adapt to the environment,” he said. “They go where their chance of success is heightened.”
It’s impossible to prevent hostile vehicle attacks as long as there are open roads with pedestrians walking alongside them, said Sen. Vern White. White, who was Ottawa police chief between 2007 and 2012, co-chairs the committee that oversees security in the parliamentary precinct.
It is also important to put these attacks into the context of real risk, he said.
“We simply can’t put up concrete barriers between every roadway and every sidewalk,” he said. “You’re more likely to be shot by a stray bullet. We have had three record years for the number of shootings.”
And while surveillance is becoming increasingly sophisticated, it not necessarily the answer to safer public spaces, Bourduas and White agree.
Facial recognition technology may help, but it is only effective if an individual is known to police, Bourduas said. In July 2016, a cargo truck slammed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring more than 450 others.
“There was great footage after the fact,” he said.
“We need to have the right people monitoring those cameras, or they simply provide evidence for a conviction,” White said. “London has more cameras than any city in the world. They ’re not necessarily effective.”
White sees intelligence-gathering as an important tool, one that relies on people being aware of their surroundings and sharing what they see. Something can only be a secret if less than two people know about it, he points out. Individuals, he says, “need to take some level of responsibility.”
People who notice anything unusual are now more likely to do something about it, Bourduas said. He was recently downtown when he noticed an unattended bag on the street. Another man also noticed the mystery package and immediately called out: “Whose bag is this?” prompting the owner to step forward. It shows that people are more aware of suspicious circumstances.
“The public is keenly aware of what has happened in the world in the past five years. They are more understanding of security measures, like airports. They are willing to accept that they have to lose a bit of their freedom,” he said.
“We need to find a sweet spot between having enough security, but not too much.”
Parliament Hill is far more security-conscious now than it has been in the past, but people are still doing yoga on the lawn, he said. “Do we want an American model? We have to make a decision. Do we want a fortress? We have to find a sweet spot.”
This week marked a good example of keeping Parliament Hill accessible but still safe, White said. The 103rd anniversary of the Armenian genocide on Tuesday attracted hundreds of Armenian protesters, who were separated from a group of Turkish counter-protesters by portable metal barricades. No one was hurt, and no one was denied access to Parliament Hill.
“That’s the kind of design I would like to see,” White said.
Bourduas was in Munich, Germany, recently and noticed a concert in large city square has attracted hundreds of people. The Germans have good reason to be aware of the dangers of hostile vehicles after an attack in Berlin targeted visitors at a busy Christmas market in 2016, killing 12 people and injuring 56. The concert in Munich, however, was blocked off by simple wooden barriers, he said.
“The public needs to be aware, but also go about their business and go about their lives,” he says. “We will continue to enjoy our lives and enjoy outdoor concerts.”
The public is keenly aware of what has happened … in the past five years. They are more understanding of security measures. … They are willing to accept that they have to lose a bit of their freedom. We need to find a sweet spot between having enough security, but not too much.