The design community entrusted with the responsibility of the development and
growth of a city – town planners, urban designers, environmentalists, architects – focuses to a large
extent on physical attributes and numbers: zoning, roads, parks and public spaces, FAR and density.
No doubt these are critical factors in planning, but they do not take into account
the fact that the priorities of the lay citizen may be very different. The average end user is more
concerned with how livable the city is; how well it accommodates their needs; how inclusive it is for
them and their family, and crucially: just how safe is the city?
