Building vertical communities

We know that people who are connected to others in their community are more likely to have a sense of well being, a perception of safety and a better quality of life, than those who are isolated.

Isolation can lead to feeling disconnected from the world around you.

In traditional neighbourhoods neighbours can usually see each other.  They may not be friends or get together but visual surveillance gives them a sense of ‘who is who’ in the neighbourhood.

This is a particular challenge in vertical neighbourhoods. And an increasing challenge as more residential high rises are built.

Neighbourhood Watch Victoria provides evidence based research on crime prevention, social media and traditional educational collateral, together with the outline of programs that the Group may want to manage – such as a Safe Plate Day in the basement.

We want to work with those in the industry to form vertical neighbourhoods.

 

Interested in joining with us?

If you are a Strata Manager, Owner Occupier or interested resident, please contact us to arrange a get together to take the creation of your vertical community to the next stage.

Interested?  Please email admin@nhw.com.au

The vertical community program

  • Secure the buy-in of stakeholders – Owners corporation committee, local Victoria Police, local Council, (possibly) the property developer and real estate agents.
  • Survey of residents to understand their issues of living safely in their vertical neighbourhood and preventing crime to the person, building, motor vehicles or other assets.
  • Host a residents get together to address the results of the survey and introduce residents to the ‘main players’ in their area (in particular their nearest Crime Prevention Officer from Victoria Police).
  • Determine next actions – which could be a series of residents meetings, identifying crime issues and distributing information pertinent to those issues in letterboxes, hosting a workshop or seminars at local Council, setting up a Whats App group for participating residents (and in the case of tenanted apartments, possibly for the owners corporation or owners).