Residential strategies patterns to offense prevention: A study in Vila Panalto, Brazil

Abstract

The perception of the public (in)security and residential crime prevention strategies affect the urban design. This study aims to understand the patterns of crime prevention strategies used by the residents of Vila Planalto, Brazil, and evaluating how they might be correlated with the perception of safety in their neighborhood. We evaluated 1.180 houses on-site with a checklist to verify the crime prevention strategies used. Further, 206 randomly selected dwellers were interviewed, concerning their perception of safety in the neighborhood. Heat Maps showed that areas with high access control offered fewer opportunities for natural surveillance. Multidimensional scaling showed patterns of use of crime prevention strategies. There was no significant correlation between the perception of safety in the neighborhood and the amount of crime prevention strategies in the residence. However, the perception of well-lit was correlated with the perception of safety in walking during night and day. The present study helps identify decisions on crime prevention strategies and provides a prognostic for possible community interventions in the village.