ASLA Posts Security Design Abstracts on Web Site

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In response to the most recent warnings of planned terrorist acts, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has posted the complete abstracts from its July security design symposium on its Web site for free viewing and download at www.asla.org/abstracts . Safe Spaces: Designing for Security and Civic Values, held in late July in Chicago, featured many of the nation's leading experts in security planning and design who contributed abstracts of their presentations for the publication.
 
"Security design and good design are not mutually exclusive ideals," says Nancy C. Somerville, executive vice president of ASLA, regarding the  decision to make the document available at no charge to the general public. "Security response plans must be compatible with the practical functionality of where we live, work, and travel. They must also respect the beauty and accessibility of our public realm, which represents our nation's values as an open and democratic society."

The Safe Spaces abstracts contain practical information and case studies demonstrating risk assessment, planning, construction methods and materials, and policy tools for determining appropriate responses. Much of the publication is devoted to reinforcing security in public spaces, such as federal buildings and parks, and includes an overview of FEMA's newly published Risk Management Series, which provides building design guidance for mitigating potential terrorist attacks.

"A law enforcement official who attended the Safe Spaces symposium two weeks ago told me this program was an eye-opener for him and that the information will be incredibly useful in planning his community's security response," Somerville continued. "We want this information to reach public officials and employees, law enforcement professionals, developers, business owners, and other key decision makers so they will have more tools at their disposal to plan for our long-term security. There are ways to secure our cities that won't turn them into armed camps. Working together, we can do it the right way."

Source: American Society of Landscape Architects