On this edition of Earth Beat we explore the built environment. In towns and cities around the world, architecture surrounds and envelops its citizens, setting a backdrop to what they do, how they feel and reflecting the values of different societies. What on one level looks like lumps of brick, concrete and stone is actually far more complex: a powerful force in shaping the emotional well-being of people who live in cities.

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If cities can shape our societies and impact citizen happiness, and new developments are needed, we need to get them right. Joining us on the show is writer Anna Minton, and according to her book, Ground Control, not every country is getting it right and Britain is building a climate of fear in its modern cities. We hear about Ms Minton's book and invite her to comment on the pieces in this week's programme:

Urban safety and the victim mentality
A recent report from the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics, showed that crime rates have dropped, but only slightly. Yet inner city residents in the Netherlands feel much safer than they did ten years ago. Professor Karin Wittebroot of the University of Amsterdam says the appearance of a neighborhood and the mentality of crime victims are more meaningful than actual crime rates when it comes to one's sense of safety.
Listen to the report by Earth Beat's Thijs Westerbeek

Gated communities in South Africa
In some cases, fear of crime is entirely justified. Johannesburg has some of the highest crime rates in the world, driving many to hide behind the walls of gated communities. But with the legacy of apartheid looming large, gated communities like Dainfern can reopen old wounds. This is an abridged version of a documentary by South African reporter Sibahle Malinga of SAfm, for the 2009 Global Perspective series.
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Light and space in the inner city
So what can be done to maintain a sense of safety and community in densely populated areas? Earthbeat takes you to the island of Borneo, a place of light and space not in South East Asia but in Amsterdam’s eastern docklands. The Borneo-Sporenburg project (top photo) was dreamt up by architects to provide a modern area of housing near Amsterdam, but with all the perks of being out of town: space, safety and greenery. The developers set out certain codes for architects to follow: low rise, high density and protected parking. Wim Kloosterboer was one of the architects and brains behind the project. Earthbeat's Fiona Campbell met up with him for a windy tour of inspection to find out if all dreaming and planning had paid off.
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In next week’s Earth Beat: Plastic fantastic
Has plastic been given a bad rap? We reappraise this everyday material and I set the Earthbeat team the challenge of trying to live without it. We hear about where most of it ends up: a great garbage patch in the middle of the ocean. And we meet a man who's making plastic wood out of the plastic companies pay to throw away.