Introduction to natural surveillance design
Active travel routes should ensure safe, direct, convenient access is given to key destinations. The routes must feel safe in order to be well used. A key element of this safety is natural surveillance, which should come from people partaking in a range of activities.
Natural surveillance is key to creating safe and well-designed spaces. Natural surveillance involves designing in a way that ensures people can see in and out of an area. For example, an area with poor natural surveillance would be one with narrow passageways, hidden corners or limited exits and entries.
Public spaces and active travel corridors should be designed with activity around them to create the right conditions for people to feel safe and secure, without the need for additional security measures.
As well as routes, natural surveillance is important for entrances to buildings, public transport stops and car and cycle parking.
Natural surveillance design
Natural surveillance can be achieved through the design of development including where buildings face on to movement networks and public spaces, avoiding blank frontages on to the public realm, avoiding large boundary walls and fences, and ensuring planting is maintained well.
As well as natural surveillance, there are other considerations for the perception of safety on routes. This includes planning routes that avoid hiding places and include frequent entry and exit points. Good levels of visibility along routes through clear sightlines, avoiding blind corners and lighting which is provided at a human-scale, which makes it easy to recognise people and does not result in long shadows, rather than reliance on tall streetlights provided for highways.
