Enhancing the Understanding of Urban Safety Issues with Participatory Action Research in Naga City,

The local government of Naga City in Camarines Sur, Philippines is ready to address urban safety issues, but there is a lack of contextualized data to fully understand an issue as layered as safety. Safety challenges are also unique to each city and demographic, so there is a need for localized data and evidence before tailor-fit solutions can be planned and implemented.

In their implementation of the Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) Programme in Naga City, the WeSolve Foundation, Inc. utilized a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to meet the city’s need for a more holistic understanding of communities affected by safety issues, while also enabling the local youth—a sector that is both a problem owner and stakeholder in terms of urban safety—to lead the way in identifying, understanding, and innovating solutions for these issues.