Rui Moreira quotes Jane Jacobs' urban studies to explain drop in crime rate in the city of Porto

Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira commented the figures related to the crime rate drop in Porto, published by a national newspaper -JN - that show a safer city.

For Rui Moreira, human presence on the street is the number one factor for safety, pinpointing the dissemination of cultural events in the city, the Centre for Integrated Crisis Management as well as the police action as major factors for the reduction of acts of violence against the physical integrity of a person or crimes against property, with reductions of up to 60% for certain types of crime.

"Porto is becoming safer due to the increasingly prominent role that the economic and touristic components are assuming in the city", Rui Moreira affirms.

Promoting wellbeing and social cohesion by reconciling economic competitiveness contribute to a considerable reduction of crime. "This clear reduction in the number of robberies is directly connected to gains in the quality of life", the Mayor added.

"In Jane Jacobs' book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) this is a clear concept that can be applied to Porto, the sociological concepts of "eyes on the street" make streets safer", Rui Moreira concluded.