Safe Community Josefstadt

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Name of the Community: Josefstadt (District of Vienna)
Country: Austria
Number of inhabitants: 24,200
Programme started: 1999
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year:2002
Info address on www for the institution: www.sicherejosefstadt.at
www.wien.gv.at/josefstadt/

The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:

For the age groups  
    
Children:     0-14 years
Youth:     15-24 years:

Fair play prize at the schools sports day
The emphasis was on rewarding low-risk behaviour and fair play in football, basketball and handball games.
This event was organised on a voluntary basis by sports teachers for team competitions. During the competitions the teams were judged by a referee, according to agreed criteria on fair play as well as sporting success. At the end the winning groups were rewarded with a large fair-play cake.
"No Risk but Fun" Sports Olympics
The target groups were extremely varied. Children of kindergarten age as well as young people up to 18 took part. The main emphasis was on encouraging safe behaviour in sport and fostering enjoyment of sporting activity. The event formed part of the Josefstadt 300 Year Jubilee Festival on May 5th, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.. The event required about 5 months to prepare. One month before the event, application forms for the rollerblade driving licence and the cycling test, and folders and "games passes" for the event were handed out in schools and kindergartens. In 3 different parks and on Josefstädter Street the children were able to join in the activities, win points for taking part and answering questions on safety, and then to gather around the scouts' camp fire for the final prize draw. Activities included how to warm up, ball skills, pedalo and walking on stilts, climbing, rollerblade skating, skateboarding, cycle training and learning how to fall. Afterwards there was an opportunity to take a course leading to a rollerblade driving licence, and a cycling test.

Street festivals with safety on wheels

Street festivals are particularly suitable for getting into contact with children and young people in a relaxed atmosphere. Altogether, over the 3 years, "Josefstadt - ganz schön sicher" participated in 9 street festivals, 3 of which were organised by the organization itself. As children are exposed to particular dangers in traffic and can also endanger other road users through their own careless behaviour on the roads, we show how to improve balancing exercises and driving skills, and information on correct behaviour in traffic when riding miniscooters, skateboards or cycles. A helmet quiz is always popular.

Puppet show and clown theatre
The puppet show is targeted at children aged from 4 to 10, and aims to get them used to the idea of wearing a helmet for skiing or cycling, testing sports equipment before use, and warming up before an activity. While the children watch the show, the parents are given information on good quality sports equipment.
The clown theatre, which is sponsored by McDonalds, shows kindergarten children the right way to deal with the unexpected dangers they may meet in the home. Both of these activities take place about ten times a year, and are always available upon request.


For the age groups:

Adults     25-64 years and
Elderly     65+ years:

A Mother's Day present
Inadequate adaptation of the homes of elderly people often leads to falls. The elderly people themselves, however, are usually reluctant to make changes to their homes, or are put off by the work and the expense involved. Therefore in this project we approached the children of elderly people and invited them to send their mothers a home improvement gift certificate instead of the usual flowers for Mother's Day. At the beginning of the year, tradesmen were sought and found who were prepared to take on the challenge of adapting a senior citizen's home, and who were willing to accept the offer from the project office to pay for 20 hours work in total, and then match it by offering another 20 themselves. The campaign was publicised in the local media and the local pages of Vienna daily newspapers, and also by a folder displayed at 60 different locations. At the same time, a number of furnishings companies located in the district agreed to distribute a folder on safety in the home for elderly people.

Knowledge transfer
There are many events for senior citizens in the district: an annual cruise arranged by the district council chairperson, events by the municipal senior citizens' clubs or the political parties, and a coffee morning for senior citizens put on by business owners. On these occasions there is always plenty of time to get into conversation with people and pass on information, which is usually done by means of leaflets and checklists for the home. On a more humorous level, a play, a light-hearted quiz on the dangers of tripping, or a video produced by the health insurance institution, entitled "Watch Out - Banana Skin", is offerred by the programme itself for older people.

Promotion of mobility

After becoming pensioners, some older people are more mobile than they were when they were still working, but many do not exercise enough. The result is that muscles gradually atrophy, stamina and co-ordination suffer, and the result can be an increased risk of falling. To counteract this tendency, the model project, in co-operation with other Vienna initiatives for health promotion ("Service Point Safe Walking for the Over 60s" and "Ein Herz für Wien" ) organised two activities:

The Town Ramblers' Club invites people to get moving, and to do so in places they normally frequent or do not have to travel far to get to, in other words, practically on their own doorstep. At 2 Vienna underground stations signboards were put up inviting people to take a brisk 1 kilometre walk, displaying a sketchmap, cultural information and explanations about the health benefits of walking. Following the official opening the Ramblers' Club established: members meet every Thursday to take a walk through the district, with a guide to point out places of interest. The social side is not forgotten either, as the walk ends up with a visit to a café.

The Network for Fall Prevention offers a medical consultation for mobility, plus training by qualified physiotherapists for strength, stamina and co-ordination for older people who have little or no mobility restriction. The training groups are conveniently located and meet 10 times over 5 weeks.

In the following environments
Home:
We offer information to accompany the different phases of life by providing information on safe households for children, adults or senior citizens when entering a new phase of life. Leaflets are available at the registry office (Standesamt) and the registration office (Meldeamt), and the pensions insurance institution is being contacted.
Most of the common items to prevent falling are available from a hardware store and a local retail outlet in the district that specialises in floor coverings, so no-one has far to go to obtain what they need.
In the summer, parents are spoken to in the district parks and given advice while enjoying the sunshine, about how they can make their household safe for children. A quiz can make the subject extra rewarding.

Traffic:
In addition to the technical solutions for road safety described above, the district also aims at structural solutions:
· Zones of traffic calming: in most side streets, there is a speed limit of 30 kph; two such speed restrictions were introduced in the last 2 years.
· 'Lollipop women/men' are on duty at the crossings outside 3 schools and kindergartens where there is heavy traffic. In one school, the older students themselves take on the job after receiving training from the police.
· Traffic humps outside schools reduce the speed of cars when passing the school.
· "Josefstadt - ganz schön sicher" advocates the use of means other than the car to take children to and from kindergarten and school, so that the reduction in traffic can make the roads safer for children.
· The ability to assess both other road users and yourself can make an important contribution to a safe community life in the limited space of Josefstadt: the Vienna transport services, the motoring organisations and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offer their visitors the opportunity to imagine themselves in the situation of tram drivers or of domestic animals, or simply to get to know the speed of their own reactions. The public was invited to take part in these events on 11 May 2001.

Occupational:
Since 2000 in Austria even very small firms have been required to carry out an evaluation of dangers and hazards at work. In November 2000 an information evening with the "Allgemeine Unfallversicherungsanstalt" (Worker's Compensation Board) was arranged for companies in Josefstadt; they were invited to make an appointment for a free evaluation.

School:
Fair play prize at the schools sport days - see description under age group children

Leisure and Sports:
Opportunities for projects under this heading in the district are limited. All the same, some activities are up and running and have already been described in other sections:
· Fair play prize for ball games, especially football
· Rollerblade training
· Cycle test
· No Risk but Fun - Sporting Olympics
· Week of active leisure
Publicity on safe bathing displayed in doctors' offices


Other:
Making barriers safe
The 8th district has completed the lowering of all the pavements at crossroads platforms. It was the first district to do this. Many of the pavements at crossroads have been extended into the crossroad platforms, making it significantly easier for pedestrians to see and be seen, and enabling them to cross the road more quickly. These extensions also make it easier for passengers to get on the tram at tram stops, as since 2001 a low level tram has been in service, and the bus that crosses the district is a 'kneeling bus' (one that can be lowered at the point of entry). As in the whole of Vienna, the bus and tram shelters are transparent and lit up, which helps women and older people in particular to feel safe. This is provided by the Vienna transport services. All public buildings can be entered without passing through a barrier, and between 1999 and 2000 two buildings were renovated.

Avoidance of obstacles

The relevant department of the city council routinely patrols the streets and inspects them for damage.
In the second year of the project a major operation was started in which all residents of the district were called upon to inspect the surroundings of their homes, entrances to blocks of flats and public buildings, using a checklist, for obstacles liable to cause accidents. Together with the "Citizens' Service", a Vienna institution for speedy removal of obstacles causing a nuisance (often building materials), the appeals made by these groups were heeded and the offending items cleared away.
Problems relating to entrances to blocks of flats are passed to the housing managers concerned. In the spring of 2002 there will be a competition to win an award for comfort and safety in the home. This competition will not be decided until after the completion of the report.
The customer areas of shops and business premises are also evaluated in a similar manner: based on a list of criteria, the traders themselves can apply for a quality certificate that certifies their sales area particularly customer friendly. Or they can invite the public to assess them and may be selected as a shop with an exceptionally high standard of comfort and convenience. Shops so selected have an entrance without steps or would at least have a handrail, and sufficient room for their customers to move around in; there would also be a chair for older people, and no sharp edges in the store.

Playground design
The play equipment in the parks and playground is regularly checked by the relevant department of the city council. In addition, in 1999 the "Friends of Children" organisation paid a visit to every playground: a group of parents and child care professionals put these playgrounds under the microscope, using the list of criteria provided by the "Sicher Leben" Institute. In the spring of 2002 a group of experts will again evaluate potential sources of danger and decide on proposals to satisfy all interested parties and achieve maximum levels of safety. Residents in the adjoining neighbourhood will also be involved in this planning (see: week of active leisure).

Public institutions
The district contains 7 kindergartens with afternoon supervision, 2 additional afternoon supervision facilities in schools and a day centre, and 7 non-school institutions, including 1 which provides supervision for children and young people in a park.
For families with children, there is the "Wiener Ferienspiel" ["Vienna Holiday Fun"]. This offers leisure activities in the school holidays, various street festivals in the summer, and, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, "Advent in Josefstadt".
In 2001 the following facilities opened to create an improved infrastructure for older people in particular: three municipal pensioners' clubs, two pensioners' clubs run by political parties, a new neighbourhood help centre, a centre for social services, and the "Little Social Nets".
Everyone benefits from the Library, the District Museum, the Museum of Ethnology, and, a recent innovation, the "Walking Mile". There are sporting activities in the Evening Institute, in a sports hall and in the mountaineering centre run by the Alpine Club.
There are 3 fairly large parks with special zones for small children and for young people, as well as rest areas, 2 playgrounds and 2 grass areas that are freely accessible, although they actually belong to public buildings.
As far as public transport is concerned, a bus and 2 trams cross the district from north to south, the underground railway runs along the boundary of the district, and 3 tram services provide the east-west link. Four bikepaths facilitate travel for non-motorised transport.

Shopping delivery service
Since the winter of 2000, older people in the district have had the opportunity on days when the ground is covered with ice and snow, to order their modest daily requirements through a foodstore and have it delivered to their door free of charge. This is because major chain stores in Austria make a minimum charge of EUR 36,- for deliveries, which is normally more than older people wish to spend.

Neighbourhood help
"You're safe with a good neighbour" is the slogan that gives reassurance and assistance in the home environment. The first campaign began with a reminder to be good neighbours and give someone a helping hand in a small way on Valentine's Day. The neighbourhood help centre can supply volunteer helpers.

The street as living space: partnership of road users
This project activity took place as an empowerment project from May to November 2001, and the district will need to study the results for a few months yet. There were 4 objectives:
· Identifying conflict areas and desirable public behaviour in terms of respect and consideration
· Reduction of aggression as a factor likely to cause accidents
· Communicating the vision of the street as living space
· Identifying requests and proposals for solutions to technical traffic problems
The call for an active response in terms of requests and suggestions began with an opening event aimed at coping with various traffic situations. A public ideas workshop entitled "How can we share the street?" was organised, to which anyone could contribute through e-mails, postcards, phone calls or messages on notice-boards. In the course of the interview phase we succeeded in finding out what topics were important to the residents, and these were then publicised on notice-boards and in our newspaper, the JoSAFEstädter.
An eight person interdisciplinary group of experts converted the proposals into recognised design solutions for problematic crossroads areas. But numerous other proposals were also taken up. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between cyclists and other road users by the setting up fair play signboards on cycle racks. Young miniscooter riders too will be given some guidance: starting in the spring of 2002, there will be a notice at park entrances requesting older people to understand that children are allowed to let off steam here, whilst at the exits the young scooter riders are asked to show consideration and be ready to apply the brakes.

Green spaces
In our densely built-up district, recreational space is rare. Two new play areas and a play street were created in recent years. The district development plan provides for the multiple use of green spaces, the creation of inner courtyards and the opening up of spaces between buildings. Dogs, too, have had 4 zones created for them.

Clean Streets Day
In an initiative supported by all the parties and the city council departments responsible for street lighting and refuse disposal, there will be from 2001 on an annual day of action in which dog mess, dirty streets and "bicycle wrecks" (old, discarded and broken-down cycles) are focused upon. In an inner-city district, pollution by dog dirt is a major problem, and people with a disability of any kind are particularly at risk from it. Dog owners are given tips on how to keep the pavements clean. On autumn days the streetlights are cleaned too, which improves visibility, thus contributing to public safety.

Violence prevention: 
"Krisenzentrum" (centre for crisis) protect children against violence in the family.
"Frauennotruf" (hotline for women) offers help for women who are affected by violence.

Suicide prevention:
In most of the Viennese schools psychologists assist students with emotional problems.
In the district a platform was founded in January to provide activities for children and teenagers. The primary activity is an 'Activity Week' in the parks during the last schoolweeks which offers many oppurtunities for movement, creativity, meeting peers. The aim is to increase a good body image, self-esteem and competence.

Surveillance of injuries: Institute "Sicher Leben"
Numbers per year: 1.925 injuries per year (estimation based on hospital discharge register)
Population base: 24,200
Started year: 1999

Publications:
Kinigadner S.: Unfallverhütung als Teil des Wiener Gesundheitsförderungsplans. Published in: Geene, Graubner, Papies-Winkler, Stendler: Gesundheit - Umwelt - Stadtentwicklung Netzwerke für Lebensqualität, Berlin 2002

Produced information material, pamphlets:
Information Folder „Bicycle Safety: Bicycle, Miniscooter, and Skateboarding"
Information Folder „Overview: Kindergardens and School Projects"
Information Folder „Kundenfreundlicher Geschäftsraum"
Information Folder „Stadtwandern für Senioren
Publication in „Wien G`sunde Stadt, Newsletter
Publication im „Sicher Leben Info", Newsletter
The „JoSAFEstädter" Newsletter, 7 issues:

• „Valentine’s Heart: Organisation for Neighborhood Help"

Staff                    

Number: 2
Professions: part-time or full-time: 1 full time employer / 1 part-time employer
Permanent: all
Temporary: none
Organization: Josefstadt - ganz schön sicher
Specific intersectoral leadership group: Institute "Sicher Leben"
General public health/health promotion group: Institute "Sicher Leben"

International commitment:Hosting "14th Safe Communities Travelling Seminar" April 2002
Study visits:
Safe Communities Vorarlberg

Participation in Safe Community conferences:
1999 in Wien
Berlin Safety Convention
4th Northern Safe Community
Conference 2001
Jubiläumskongreß der ÖgwG in Salzburg 2000
Experts Meeting of the Psychology Association, March 2002 in Vienna

Hosting Safe Community Conferences:No

For further information contact:

Dr. Sonja Kinigadner
Josefstadt - ganz schön sicher
Strozzigasse 47
A-1080 Vienna
Austria
Phone : +43/1/402 19 16   
Fax: +43/1/402 63 60
sichere.josefstadt@gmx.at

Updated by Moa Sundström, 2002-10-29 14:39.