Planning Out Crime: The Appliance of Science or an Act of Faith? (From Handbook of Crime Prevention and Community Safety, P 245-265, 2005, Nick Tilley, ed, -- See NCJ-214069)

• NCJ Number: 214078
• Author(s): Henry Shaftoe; Tim Read
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 21 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This chapter offers a critical view of environmental design for crime control.

Abstract

The main argument presented by the authors is that environmental design needs to meet a range of objectives, the reduction of crime being only one. They are critical of environmental design that controls crime mainly through the exclusion of some classes of citizens. The authors begin the chapter with a look at the debates concerning the link between the physical design of an environment and crime. The two “camps” of environmental design are identified as those who argue for more closed design versus those who argue for more open and permeable design, each one reflecting a major crime theory: classical rational choice theory in the first case and psychosocial positivist theories in the second case. The “crime prevention through environmental design” (CPTED) strategy, which is based on situational theories of crime prevention, is explored and has been widely promoted as a cure for urban crime. CPTED is largely comprised of territoriality and surveillance strategies and is critiqued for its lack of attention to important social issues, such as the importance of family networks and community development to crime prevention. Indeed, critiques contend that a focus on “designing out” crime simply displaces crime and does nothing to address the underlying causes of crime in communities. The authors offer four examples of how good environmental planning can contribute to safer neighborhoods; the examples involve designing for optimum use, designing to give the right psychological cues, designing for control of environments, and right-sizing. Finally, community involvement in environmental design is underscored as a critical component of the process of creating livable environments designed to meet a range of social goals. Suggestions are offered for environmental design guidelines that include consultations with those who will use or live in the environments. Notes, references