On Monday 12th June 2023 ToNite presented its shared and participatory security model at the 28th Mannheim Congress on security and prevention.
The main topic of the 28th German Prevention Congress is “Crises & Prevention”. In short, the 28th DPT is dedicated to topics such as the perception, impact, handling and preventive approaches to solving current crises. Crises are not easy to grasp in their entirety and the political as well as psychological reactions to them are manifold. Prevention in dealing with crises thus covers a broad field. It encompasses psychological factors of resilience, political-democratic action competencies, municipal crisis management (including key words such as population protection and black-out scenarios) as well as crisis communication. The 28th German Prevention Congress will focus in particular on these efforts in order to highlight and disseminate already existing research findings, solution approaches, promising strategies and measures. In addition, it is intended to identify the research and practical needs that continue to be necessary for crisis management.
The ToNite model was presented in the session “ToNite – Urban security as a participatory challenge” with the aim of deepening the innovative approach and multidisciplinary methodology that are the basis of our project to address urban security and crime prevention . The project arises from the belief that urban security is linked to a proper and diverse use of public spaces. A pleasant and liveable public space offering social, cultural and economic activities and initiatives to citizens, encourages a positive and secure attendance of it. The idea of the ToNite project is to activate and engage the local community in the design of new possible solutions to answer to a complex urban issue – the one of urban security in public spaces and crime prevention – during evening and night-time hours. Therefore, the City of Turin has activated a collaborative process for supporting and promoting the delivery of community-based services and initiatives, empowering and co-creating social impact initiatives with local stakeholders (such as local associations and organisations, social enterprises, citizens…) to put in place in the targeted project area. Together with this action, the City of Turin co-designed with local communities new urban regeneration intervention, aimed at improving social cohesion and protection in the use of public spaces at evening and night time. The experimentation of these participatory actions and initiatives led to a new common and shared use and perception of public spaces and security.
