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Security Zones and New York City's Shrinking Public Space

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  • JEREMY NÉMETH
  • JUSTIN HOLLANDER

Abstract

Urban scholars lament the loss of public space due to heightened security and behavioral controls borne of economic priorities and anti‐terror concerns after September 11th 2001. Owners and managers of government buildings, banks and courthouses have closed streets and fitted the surrounding space with concrete barriers, bollards and moat‐like structures to prevent potential terror attacks. These are reasonable protections in emergency situations, but, as threat levels fall, these zones fail to incorporate a diversity of users, privatizing the space for those with security clearance. The ubiquity of these zones encourages us to consider them as a new type of land use. To test this statement, we describe the results of site visits to two high‐profile New York City neighborhoods (one with numerous civic buildings, the other populated with corporate headquarters). Using a simple tool we developed, we find that 27% of aggregate non‐building area in the two districts is now in a security zone. Interestingly, the percentage of space within each district that can be classed as a security zone is reasonably similar, providing insight into the way in which terror targets are internally and externally defined and justified. We argue that this new type of land use is an important and permanent feature of twenty‐first century global cities. Résumé Les chercheurs en sciences urbaines regrettent la perte d’espace public, incriminant souvent les contrôles accrus de sécurité et de comportement suscités par des priorités économiques ou des préoccupations anti‐terroristes depuis le 11 septembre 2001. Propriétaires et gestionnaires de bâtiments publics, banques et tribunaux ont fermé des rues et équipé l’espace environnant d’obstacles en béton, de plots et de quasi‐fossés afin de parer aux attaques terroristes potentielles. Ces protections sont normales en situations d’urgence, mais lorsque la menace décroît, les zones concernées ne parviennent pas à diversifier leurs usagers, l’espace étant réservé aux détenteurs de droits d’accès. L’ubiquité de ces zones pousse à les considérer comme un nouveau type d’occupation des sols. Pour vérifier cette affirmation, nous présentons les résultats de visites dans deux quartiers éminents de New York, l’un regroupant de nombreux bâtiments publics, l’autre une multitude de sièges sociaux. Au moyen d’un outil simple développé par nos soins, nous constatons que 27% de la surface cumulée non bâtie dans les deux secteurs sont désormais dans une zone sécurisée. Il faut noter que, dans chaque secteur, la proportion de l’espace qui peut être classé en zone sécurisée est relativement similaire, donnant un éclairage sur la façon dont les cibles terroristes sont définies et justifiées sur les plans intérieur et extérieur. Selon nous, ce nouveau type d’occupation des sols constitue un caractère important et permanent des villes planétaires du xxie siècle.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeremy Németh & Justin Hollander, 2010. "Security Zones and New York City's Shrinking Public Space," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 20-34, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:34:y:2010:i:1:p:20-34
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2427.2009.00899.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Warren, 2002. "Situating the city and September 11th: military urban doctrine, ‘pop–up’ armies and spatial chess," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 614-619, September.
    2. Peter Marcuse, 2006. "Security or Safety in Cities? The Threat of Terrorism after 9/11," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 919-929, December.
    3. Rachel Pain, 2001. "Gender, Race, Age and Fear in the City," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(5-6), pages 899-913, May.
    4. Peter Marcuse, 2002. "Urban form and globalization after September 11th: the view from New York," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 596-606, September.
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    1. Robert Socha & Bogusław Kogut, 2020. "Urban Video Surveillance as a Tool to Improve Security in Public Spaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Rodrigo Firmino & Fabio Duarte, 2016. "Private video monitoring of public spaces: The construction of new invisible territories," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(4), pages 741-754, March.
    3. Jeremy Németh, 2010. "Security in Public Space: An Empirical Assessment of Three US Cities," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(10), pages 2487-2507, October.
    4. Svetlana K. Perović & Jelena Bajić Šestović, 2019. "Creative Street Regeneration in the Context of Socio-Spatial Sustainability: A Case Study of a Traditional City Centre in Podgorica, Montenegro," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-25, October.
    5. Yucel Can Severcan, 2018. "Changing places, changing childhoods: Regeneration and children’s use of place in Istanbul," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 55(10), pages 2179-2196, August.
    6. Jaekyung Lee & Galen Newman & Yunmi Park, 2018. "A Comparison of Vacancy Dynamics between Growing and Shrinking Cities Using the Land Transformation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-17, May.

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