Beyond Locks and Gates: Rethinking Safety from a Cultural Lens
When I first moved to Australia, the concept of "Safety"- What it means, how it's perceived, and how it's designed into daily life-felt surprisingly different from what I was used to. At first glance, it wasn't something I expected to notice so quickly. But as I began house-hunting and settling in, subtle yet striking details began to stand out- details that spoke volumes about culture, trust, and the psychology of living. One of the earliest things that caught my attention was the structure of suburban homes. While most homes in Australia cleary define property boundaries with fences, I was surprised to see that many of them had NO front gates or walls. The front yard, in many cases, was open - accessible all the way up to the front door. There was no barrier that shouted, "Stop here", or "Private property beyond this point". It felt open, relaxed, even inviting- an unspoken trust that both reassured and puzzled me. Coming from Korea, whe...