The Project
The Howell 'Safe Neighborhoods Project' kicked off in the winter of 2019-20 with funding from a Michigan Applied Public Policy Research grant from MSU and with the support of the Howell City Council, Police Department and Planning Department.
The planning process began with a public workshop at the Library in December of 2019!
Approx 20 attendees learned about crime prevention through environmental design ( CPTED) and Photovoice. For background information on CPTED and Photovoice, see below.
PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME
Attendees marked up maps of Howell with where they most felt safe or unsafe. These public perception maps were compared to maps of actual crime locations. Strong overlap was evident.
CRIME DATA MAPPING (2016-19)
The project continued in 2020 with an analysis of violent crime and property crime locations in Howell. Crime hotspots were identified and defined for both types of crime. From these hotspots came areas of priority for design changes that would address crime. See the 'outcomes' page of this website for a look at the crime maps and crime perceptions maps.
DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS
The team made design and zoning recommendations for areas located within the crime hotspots. For a review of those recommendations, visit the 'Outcomes' page of this website for a video recording of the final presentation.
LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE
In late 2020, the findings of this project were presented to city leaders in an online roundtable workshop. Leaders provided feedback on the findings and created action steps to take for addressing crime in the CPTED priority areas.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Four types of community engagement were utilized during this project.
1) Online Survey
2) Photovoice- photo essay submissions
3) Social Media (Facebook 'Howell Safe Neighborhoods' - Shared thru City FB page too)
4) In-person workshop & online roundtables
Howell Safe Neighborhoods is brought to you by the City of Howell, Michigan State University School of Planning, Design and Construction, MSU Extension and by a 2019 grant from the Michigan Applied Public Policy and Research (MAPPR) Program at MSU. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. MSU programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status.
