“You can’t let the biggest visual space be dominated by criminals,” explained Jerome Barth, Director of Bryant Park, NY. Bryant Park used to be a retreat for criminals, before it was restored.

“We don’t know (where the criminals went),” Barth said. “There was no longer an opportunity (here) for them, so they just disappeared.”

Today Bryant Park is managed by a private foundation, which works together with the city authorities. And it is this sort of collaboration between the private and the public that is interesting for Swedish politicians.

“Focus has been shifted from hunting down individuals to taking away the places where crime is committed,” Jan Landström, criminologist from Nacka said. And Eva Öhbom Ekdahl, commissioner from Nacka, added that in Sweden everything is divided: “There’s a playground for children, there’s something for the elderly, but here’s a mix for everyone who lives and works in the neighborhood.”

Bryant Park is a 9,603 acre park located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets, it has an annual revenue of $8 million.