Relationship Between the Materiality of a City and Its Security

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To answer the question posed above, I will first consider what constitutes the materiality of the city, then I will consider security in the context of the city. Finally, I will then the relationship between the materiality of the city and its security.

What constitutes the materiality of a city?
The materiality of a city is the personification of that city, or urban environment through the physical objects that serve to make up the component parts of the city. These may be the physical buildings, the roads and pavements through to the street furniture and the open spaces, plants and landscaping. The other elements that populate these spaces also serve to define the materiality of the city – trams, busses, cars, cyclists and even pedestrian traffic.

Whilst this represents the “public” face of materiality, there is a more private face constructed by the individuals that inhabit the city. Their own constructions within their private spaces are part of the material of the city, but are not generally shared. The decoration and furnishing of an apartment may be influenced and controlled by a number of factors – the previous occupier, the ownership of the property and the availability of materials in the city. In addition, the sense of security may influence the design and material in the apartment. There may be additional locks, an alarm system or even bars fitted to the windows as the result of the perceived need for protection, or a lack of security. (Watson, 2008) describes a gated community, where additional physical security is added to an area to exclude others and promote a feeling of personal safety inside the compound. The safety sought by the inhabitants of these compounds is the fear of crime – perhaps engendered...

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...se-our-streets
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Judah, S., 2013. Is cycling getting more or less dangerous. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24987425
[Accessed 6 12 2013].
McDonald, M., 2008. Global Security after 11 September 2011. In: S. Carter, T. Jordan & S. Watson, eds. Security: Sociology and Social Worlds. Manchester: Manchester University Press..
Smeed, R., 1949. Some statistical aspects of road safety research. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Volume 112, pp. 1-34.
Watson, S., 2008. Security In the City. In: S. Carter, T. Jordan & S. Watson, eds. Security: Sociology and Social Worlds. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Weaver, M., 2013. Guardian - East Coast Flooding Reports. [Online]
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/05/uk-weather-warning-east-coast-braced-for-floods-live-updates
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