A Place to Go: Creating Safe Spots in Dinkytown
While Dinkytown has a lot to offer, there may be times when students need somewhere to go if they ever feel uncomfortable or unsure of what to do next.
What if every student knew where they could go when they didn’t feel safe?
Dinkytown is a huge part of the University of Minnesota student experience. We walk through it to get to class, meet friends, grab food, go out, and most importantly get home. But there are also moments when students may feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or unsure of what they might come across.
What if students didn’t have to figure that out alone?
Imagine if local Dinkytown businesses became places students could recognize as safe spaces when they need somewhere to go. As students, we know that feeling comfortable in places we spend a lot of our time can shape our overall college experience.
Introducing the Idea of Dinkytown Safe Spots
For this semester's Imagine We Could project, our group chose to explore how students and local businesses can work together to make Dinkytown feel safer and more welcoming.
We imagine a network of local businesses that are willing to open their doors to students who feel uncomfortable, need a place to wait, or need a place to go when they aren’t sure what to do next.
Participating businesses could display a clearly recognizable Safe Spot sticker or sign on their front door or window. That simple symbol would tell students:
You have a place to go.
Maybe you’re walking home and realize someone's following you. Maybe you just got separated from your friends and you don’t feel comfortable walking alone and need a place to wait till someone can meet you. Maybe you saw something that made you uncomfortable and you just need a place to collect your thoughts and figure out what to do next.
Instead of wondering where to go, you could look for a Safe Spot.
Why Businesses?
Dinkytown isn’t just a place where students live. It’s a community made up of students, businesses, employees, and residents. Because students already visit these businesses every day, they are familiar places that could become trusted places to go when someone needs help.
That means creating a safer Dinkytown doesn’t have to be something students tackle themselves.
Local businesses could become another layer of support within the community. A Safe Spot wouldn’t replace any emergency services or trained professionals. Instead, it would give students another option when they need somewhere to go.
So, what would being a Safe Spot actually mean?
Participating businesses could provide students with a place to wait, allow students to use a phone if theirs is dead or unavailable, or contact authorities if needed. Employees wouldn’t be expected to solve the situation or act as security professionals. The goal is simply to provide students with a place to go.
We imagine partnering with restaurants and shops that are open late in the evening to early morning, when students may be walking through Dinkytown or heading home.
A Small Idea With the Potential to Grow
A Safe Spot sticker might seem like a small idea.
But what happens when one business participates? Then another. And another.
Eventually, students could walk through Dinkytown knowing that there are recognizable places nearby where they can stop if they need help.
Safe Spots could even become part of an interactive Dinkytown safety map, allowing students to see participating businesses and other resources before they need them.
Let’s Build It Together
We believe we can do more together than we can as individuals
Students experience Dinkytown every day, and local businesses are an important part of that experience. Bringing those perspectives together could help us imagine new ways to make Dinkytown feel more welcoming and less intimidating.
So, what do you think?
Would you feel more supported knowing there were Safe Spot businesses throughout Dinkytown?
What businesses would you want to see participate? What would make you feel safer walking through Dinkytown?
Every student's experience is different, and your perspective could help shape ideas for the future. Share your thoughts below and help us imagine what Dinkytown could become.
DINKY SAFETY POLL
What would make you feel more comfortable while spending time in Dinkytown?
Knowing there are Safe Spot locations nearby
Having more safety resources available
More local businesses involved in supporting students
More opportunities to connect with the community
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