George Conklin
2007-05-28 21:15:34 UTC
It has been known for years that the silly dictates of New Urbanism
encourage uncontrolled space which encourages otherwise lawful people to
commit crime. This is an example of this problem from Southern Village, an
enclave of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It really does prove the point.
Alleged rape site a teen hangout
By Jessica Rocha, Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL - The teenagers congregating at the upscale Southern Village
community in southern Chapel Hill have long been considered a nuisance.
They're blamed for graffiti, vandalism and loitering that can be costly to
merchants and a hassle to residents.
But now the allegations are far more serious.
Four high school-age boys were arrested Friday on charges of first-degree
rape.
====
Built in 1992, Southern Village is Chapel Hill's first "mixed-use
community." It was designed to be more like an established neighborhood
instead of a subdivision. Houses, apartments and townhouses surround a
market area that includes a grocery store, church, movie theater, office
space and retail shops, and children can walk or bike to an elementary
school there.
More than 3,000 people now live there, according to promotional materials on
Southern Village's Web site.
But Southern Village's movie theater and pizza and coffee shops make the
town square on the southern end of town a popular hangout for high
schoolers. And more secluded woods are close enough for some of those kids
to find privacy to experiment with drugs and alcohol, among other
activities, Chapel Hill Police Capt. Chris Blue said.
In the past couple of years, residents and merchants have complained that
congregations of unattended students have often created a ruckus: They've
fought, painted graffiti and headed into the nearby woods to drink alcohol.
In response, Chapel Hill police ramped up their presence last summer to
discourage the kids from gathering too much, trying to enforce a 9 p.m.
"drop-off" limit for teens. Merchants used wristbands to identify those who
came to watch an outdoor movie to try to discern between the ones who were
just hanging out from the ones there for entertainment.
"We had some success reaching out to parents and telling them of ... the
potential danger kids face being dropped off down there," Blue said.
Police also opened a police substation about two years ago behind the movie
theater. Community police officers keep business hours there, though the
substation's not always occupied.
This summer, expect another police campaign aimed at parents who might drop
off their kids and leave them at Southern Village unattended
------
Oh well, what do ignoranct architects know of real human behavior? Zilch.
encourage uncontrolled space which encourages otherwise lawful people to
commit crime. This is an example of this problem from Southern Village, an
enclave of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It really does prove the point.
Alleged rape site a teen hangout
By Jessica Rocha, Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL - The teenagers congregating at the upscale Southern Village
community in southern Chapel Hill have long been considered a nuisance.
They're blamed for graffiti, vandalism and loitering that can be costly to
merchants and a hassle to residents.
But now the allegations are far more serious.
Four high school-age boys were arrested Friday on charges of first-degree
rape.
====
Built in 1992, Southern Village is Chapel Hill's first "mixed-use
community." It was designed to be more like an established neighborhood
instead of a subdivision. Houses, apartments and townhouses surround a
market area that includes a grocery store, church, movie theater, office
space and retail shops, and children can walk or bike to an elementary
school there.
More than 3,000 people now live there, according to promotional materials on
Southern Village's Web site.
But Southern Village's movie theater and pizza and coffee shops make the
town square on the southern end of town a popular hangout for high
schoolers. And more secluded woods are close enough for some of those kids
to find privacy to experiment with drugs and alcohol, among other
activities, Chapel Hill Police Capt. Chris Blue said.
In the past couple of years, residents and merchants have complained that
congregations of unattended students have often created a ruckus: They've
fought, painted graffiti and headed into the nearby woods to drink alcohol.
In response, Chapel Hill police ramped up their presence last summer to
discourage the kids from gathering too much, trying to enforce a 9 p.m.
"drop-off" limit for teens. Merchants used wristbands to identify those who
came to watch an outdoor movie to try to discern between the ones who were
just hanging out from the ones there for entertainment.
"We had some success reaching out to parents and telling them of ... the
potential danger kids face being dropped off down there," Blue said.
Police also opened a police substation about two years ago behind the movie
theater. Community police officers keep business hours there, though the
substation's not always occupied.
This summer, expect another police campaign aimed at parents who might drop
off their kids and leave them at Southern Village unattended
------
Oh well, what do ignoranct architects know of real human behavior? Zilch.