方 as a noun with a relative clause. What does it mean? [duplicate]

Question

Today I encountered this sentence:

その都市の治安はいい[方]{ほう}です。

The general meaning is simple: "The city is safe".

However, what does [方]{ほう} mean in this sentence? Is there an implicit comparison? (ie, "The safety is the best aspect of the city") Does it simply mean "side"? (ie, "Safety is a good aspect of the city").

Thanks.

Answer 1

There is indeed an implicit comparison, though not with other aspects of the city but rather with other cities. I'd say a better translation would be "That city is on the safer side" or "that's one of the safer cities."