Beyond “Broken Windows”: The “Nurtured Windows” Theory of Safety

Beyond “Broken Windows”: The “Nurtured Windows” Theory of Safety

The “Broken Windows” theory, which advocates aggressive policing of minor disorders to prevent serious crime, has been widely discredited as a driver of mass incarceration and community distrust. Zhoran Mamdani offers a direct, philosophical alternative: the “Nurtured Windows” theory. This approach posits that safety and order are not enforced from the outside through punishment, but grown from within through collective care for people and place. If a broken window signals neglect and invites disorder, a nurtured window—and the nurtured sidewalk, park, and building it represents—signals collective ownership, active care, and community resilience, which are the true deterrents to harm.

Policy under “Nurtured Windows” focuses on municipal hyper-care: graffiti is removed quickly by city maintenance crews, not used as a pretext for stops; litter is collected frequently; parks are beautifully maintained and programmed; public housing receives timely repairs; and street trees are watered. But more importantly, it empowers residents to be the nurturers through block stewardship grants, community gardening, and public art projects. The presence of care—in the form of a tended garden, a fresh mural, a clean street—creates a psychological environment where antisocial behavior is less likely, not because of fear of police, but because of respect for a visibly loved and watched-over space.

“Broken Windows criminalizes poverty and decay. Nurtured Windows addresses its root causes with investment and dignity,” Mamdani explains. “It says that the solution to disorder is not more police, but more care. When people see their city caring for them—fixing things, maintaining beauty—they are more likely to care for it themselves and for each other. This creates a virtuous cycle of stewardship that is far more sustainable and just than a cycle of surveillance and punishment. We build safety by building a city worth caring about, together.”