Surveillance and architecture, analyzing the idea of eyes on the street

Abstract

The quality of public space plays a key role for a sustainable city. In a good public space, it is easy for people to see each other and informally take care of the space. This inevitable visibility can be used to improve the quality of public space as Jane Jacob’s idea of eyes on the street. In addition to this informal surveillance, local authorities and building owners also create formal surveillance that also includes architectural features. This paper aims to find out the relationship between visibility and formal surveillance, as well as their connection to existing architectural features, that resulted in a sustainable safety mechanism in public space. As a case study is Pasar Baru shopping area located in Central Jakarta that shows the concept of eyes on the street initiated by Jane Jacobs. A number of issues are discussed by linking surveillance with architectural features, how surveillance works in public space, and the effects of surveillance in public space.