By Kim Se-jeong
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Monday it will play classical music in poverty-stricken areas of the capital beginning April in an effort to prevent crime.
“At no other time has urban safety been so important. Through this, we want residents to feel safer in their neighborhoods,” said Chae Myung-joon from the Urban Safety Division of the SMG. He added that the designated spots will receive additional surveillance cameras so authorities can monitor them.
Europe and North America already use music to reduce the crime rate.
For example, Kent in South East England saw its crime fall dramatically after it played Gustav Mahler’s symphonies in deprived areas of the county. In Palm Beach City, FL, the city government played Ludwig von Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 on a murder-ridden city street in 1999, and saw the crime rate dropping to 83 reported cases from 119 previously.
The measure is based on experts’ opinions that classical music contributes to controlling minds, Chae said.
SMG has used a similar anti-crime program with art.
Called “Community Art,” the Design Policy Department has been painting streets and walls in urban slums since 2012.
Yeomri-dong in the Mapo district was the first benefactor. “The neighborhood was old looking. Residents there are mostly tenants who constantly move on. Revitalizing the neighborhood by getting residents together was the goal,” Kang Hyo-jin from the department said. The city repaired the streets and invited the residents to participate in the painting. She said it has contributed to transforming the environment and reducing the crime rate.
In addition to Mapo, SMG completed similar projects in Gwanak and Geumcheon in southern Seoul and Yongsan and Jungrang in northern Seoul. The city has an ongoing project in Geumcheon.
The effect of using art for crime prevention has been around for a long time. The theory of crime prevention through environmental design was born in the 1960s in the United States, and has become an integral part of urban planning ever since then.