Our new White Paper explores how labels like "ghetto" or "sink estate" fuel insecurity—and what we can do about it.

It often starts with a word. A label. A newspaper calls a neighbourhood a "no-go zone". A politician refers to a housing estate as a "ghetto". A local calls their own area "the bad part of town".

At EUNWA, we usually talk about practical crime prevention, community building, and being good neighbours. So, you might wonder: why have we just published a 70-page research paper on urban sociology?

The answer is simple. We have realised that you cannot build a safe neighbourhood if the outside world has already decided it is a "lost cause".

Introducing "Naming the Border"

Our new White Paper, Naming the Border: Territorial Stigma and the Production of Marginality in Europe, is the result of months of research and collaboration.

We wanted to understand why certain places in Europe get a bad reputation and how that reputation sticks, regardless of the reality on the ground. We looked past the headlines to see how stigma affects the people who actually live there.

In this document, we take a journey across the continent:

• The UK: How "council estates" went from being "homes for heroes" to being labelled "sink estates".

• France: The complex story of the banlieues and how language shapes perception.

• Scandinavia: The controversy of Denmark’s "Ghetto List" and Sweden’s "vulnerable areas".

• Southern & Eastern Europe: From the Vele of Scampia in Naples to the concrete blokovi of the Balkans.

It’s not just about architecture

What we found is that the problem often isn't the buildings—it's the narrative. When we label a place as "dangerous" or "decayed", we drive away investment, we damage the residents' pride, and ironically, we make the area less safe.

We believe that real security doesn't come from higher walls or aggressive policing. It comes from social capital—neighbours knowing each other, looking out for one another, and taking pride in where they live. Stigma destroys that trust.

A tool for everyone

We haven’t written this just for academics. This White Paper includes practical guidelines for local authorities, police forces, and Neighbourhood Watch coordinators. It’s about shifting our mindset: seeing these neighbourhoods not as problems to be solved, but as communities full of potential.

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who contributed, with a special mention to Valeria Lorenzelli and Umberto Nicolini for their time and expertise in reviewing the manuscript.

We hope you find it an interesting read.

Download the White Paper (PDF)

The European Neighbourhood Watch Association (EUNWA) is proud to announce the launch of the White Book 2026 Series, a comprehensive pan-European analysis of the evolving landscape of participatory security.

More than a decade after our first landmark publication, the environment in which Neighbourhood Watch organisations operate has transformed. To capture this new reality, we are moving beyond a simple inventory to provide in-depth, qualitative country reports.

We are delighted to release the first chapter of this series: The Austria Country Report.

Why Austria? A Unique Case Study

Austria offers one of the most compelling evolutionary paths in Europe. Unlike nations with long-established traditions of Neighbourhood Watch, Austria has undergone a rapid and profound transformation in just fifteen years.

This report traces the journey from the pioneering days of proNACHBAR—a grassroots initiative driven by civic enthusiasm—to the establishment of GEMEINSAM.SICHER (Together.Secure), a structured, state-managed programme coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior.

What You Will Find in This Report

This document provides a critical analysis of two distinct philosophies of community safety. It explores how a model based on "bottom-up" vigilance shifted towards a "top-down" institutional partnership, redefining the citizen’s role from being the "eyes and ears" of the community to a formal "dialogue partner" of the police.

Key insights include:

• The "Institutional Vacuum": How the state intervenes when civil society initiatives face resource constraints.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding the Austrian aversion to the "spy state" label and how it shaped the current model.
• The Digital Dilemma: The trade-off between the speed of citizen-led alert apps and the accuracy of police-controlled information channels.
• Sustainability: Lessons on avoiding the "Founder’s Trap" and ensuring long-term viability for volunteer organisations.

A Series in the Making

The Austria Country Report is just the beginning. The White Book 2026 project will continue to explore diverse models across the continent. We are pleased to announce that the next chapters, currently in production, will focus on:

• Estonia: Examining community safety in a highly digitalised society.
• Ireland: Analysing a model with deep-rooted traditions of community engagement.

Download the Report

We invite policymakers, security practitioners, community leaders, and citizens to download the full Austria Country Report and join the conversation on the future of participatory security in Europe.

Download: White Book 2026 - Country Report: Austria (PDF)