Recently I attended a seminar at Glasgow Caledonian University, organized in memory of the late Professor Jim Gallacher, formerly Professor of Lifelong Learning at the University. Professor Gallacher’s main interests on which he published widely were in the fields of widening access to higher education, the role of colleges of further education and the transition from further to higher education.  The seminar heard from several speakers who offered up-to-date perspectives on these issues and particularly on efforts to recognize the benefits of pathways to higher education through further education.

So the UK Prime Minister has declared he is ‘on the side of the motorist’ in the aftermath of a parliamentary byelection in which the imposition of an extended ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) was a major issue.  Other attempts at controlling traffic movement in towns and cities in the UK through measures such as low traffic zones (LTZs) or controlled parking zones (CPZs) are also meeting opposition, and are being postponed (as in Oxford, Bristol and elsewhere) or abandoned. All this, when the social, environmental and health benefits of lower traffic seem clear, and popular support for environmental action remains firm.

Safety is a vital ingredient of a successful place, yet stories in the media of violence and harassment in city streets and other ‘third places’ are everywhere. How should towns and cities respond? In this piece I want first to explore the idea of a safe place a little and outline broad perspectives which commonly underpin responses to promote place safety. Second, I set out some measures which are commonly taken relating to each perspective, and then third I will try to relate the implications of all this for the lived experience of cities and neighborhoods.