Op-ed supporting Safer Streets for Women and Girls

Published in the Highlands Current here, Bryan wrote this op-ed with the hopes of influencing policy decisions that influence safety for women and girls in public spaces.

Regardless of how the police investigation of the terrible assault in Beacon on Jan. 14 unfolds, one thing is clear: Our community can take practical steps to make this city safer for women.

This incident is not isolated. Many women experience routine catcalling, shadowing and harassment on Main Street and elsewhere. While better lighting and cameras are often proposed as solutions, they address only part of the problem.

Safety is shaped not just by infrastructure, but by how a space feels to move through: whether paths are intuitive, sightlines are clear, there are visible escape options and other people are present. Spaces can be well-lit and still feel unsafe if they are empty, overexposed or funnel people into isolation. Research and experience from cities that have examined women’s and girls’ day-to-day use of public space show that safety improves when places support comfort, visibility and everyday activity — not just surveillance.

When people feel welcome to linger, move at their own pace and choose their routes freely, public spaces become safer through regular use. Small design choices — connected routes, clear sightlines, wide sidewalks, sheltered places to pause and visible social activity — can build confidence and reduce vulnerability.

Urban planning has not always fully accounted for these experiences, but many communities are finding straightforward ways to do better. Beacon is well-positioned to do the same. Our region includes women-owned planning and landscape architecture firms with deep expertise in designing safer, more inclusive spaces. Partnering with that expertise could help the city build on what is already working and identify practical improvements. Expanding who participates in planning conversations — and drawing on a wider range of everyday experiences — can only strengthen the results.

Across the country, cities make substantial efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Applying a similar lens to women’s safety could be just as useful. Beacon could evaluate streets and public spaces with that goal in mind and make incremental upgrades over time.

The area near Route 9D and Tioronda shows how small details add up: limited sightlines into lower elevations, the need to step into brush to avoid cars, a trail that has (temporary) dead ends and the absence of an emergency call box in an isolated stretch. These are practical design issues with practical fixes, and addressing them would make the area feel safer for anyone walking through.

Design alone isn’t enough. School-based education, clear public messaging and partnerships with local institutions can also help set shared expectations about respectful behavior in public spaces. Safety works best as a community effort.

As a man, I can’t fully know what many women navigate each day, but I can listen and support solutions that come from those experiences. I hope more of us — especially those involved in local decision-making — will do the same.

It is not too early to have this conversation. It’s a good time to start making these improvements.