Safety and urban design – the role of CPTED in the design process

Abstract

Purpose -Urban design, in conjunction with the older, more established disciplines of architecture and town planning, is increasingly important in shaping the built environment. Urban designers are required to consider a broad array of issues, crime and safety being among them. For various practical and projectrelated reasons, crime and safety issues can be given cursory attention. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is an invited opinion piece and comment based upon the specialist knowledge and expertise of the author working within the field of urban design. Findings -Learning from environmental sustainability and the manner in which such issues are now routinely embedded into urban design processes, the paper argues that a combination of regulation (i.e. legislation, policies and design guidelines) and ongoing professional development for built environment professionals are required to ensure that crime and safety issues are given due consideration. Originality/value -Practical examples will be used to illustrate this argument, including reference to a design guideline operating in New South Wales (Australia) and lessons learned (and challenges experienced) from a mixed-used development project in inner-Sydney. Keywords Planning, Urban design, Crime prevention through environmental design Paper type Viewpoint UrbanisationThe global population continues to swell and our cities are being forced to manage unprecedented urbanisation. This is most prevalent in the developing world where people are escaping the poverty and lack of infrastructure in rural areas for the promise of a better life in the cities. According to the UN-HABITAT's report, State of the World Cities 2010/2011: Bridging the Urban Divide, already half of the world's population live in urban areas, with the less urbanised regions being Asia and Africa, though they will reach a tipping point in 2023 and 2030, respectively.As the pressure continues to grow on our cities, towns and suburbs, the world is becoming increasingly aware of the implications of continued, and at times, unmanageable growth. Traffic congestion, housing shortages, polluted landscapes, unemployment, crime and security are just some of the issues that we must grapple with on a day-to-day basis, both as urbanists (i.e. those that work in professions relating to the urban environment) and urban dwellers.To better respond to the shifting demographic, cultural and urban landscapes new areas of specialisation are emerging from the traditional professions of "architecture" and "town planning", which are often considered too broad. These disciplines have been complemented by various streams of design, engineering, sociology, geography, sustainability and environmental sciences. Buildings, towns, streets and public spaces are still designed, built and maintained, though the process is increasingly complex and requires input from an immense number of specialists.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Characteristics Associated With Violence and Safety in Middle Schools

“…3 The effects of these strategies can extend beyond reducing opportunities for crime to enhance positive social interactions and create a sense that people care what happens and that problems will be addressed. Environmental strategies designed to reduce crime and improve quality of life have been applied in diverse settings, including communities, 4,5 industrial areas, 6 public transportation, 7 and businesses. 8…”

“…Students were asked to reflect on their experiences in the past month. Response options were on 5-point Likert scales (range 1 to 5), for example, to assess frequency of experience (eg ''Never,'' ''Seldom [1-2 Days],'' ''Sometimes [3][4][5],'' ''Often [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15],'' or ''Frequently [16+ Days]'') or students' perceived level of safety (eg, ''Not At All Safe,'' ''Not Really Safe,'' ''Sort of Safe,'' ''Safe,'' and ''Very Safe'').…”

An assessment of crime prevention through environmental design in student housing: a weight-of-evidence approach

“…In recent years, the high rate of acceleration in crime associated with students in higher education institutions has made most universities globally one of the major concerns (Funnell, 2015; Sloan and Fisher, 2014) . Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a fashionable crime prevention approach implemented on a global scale (Özaşçılar, 2022; Nangia et al , 2019; Matijosaitiene, 2016; Knapp, 2013). CPTED can improve the safety and security of students.…”

Architecture of care in the urban public space: A philosophical inquiry in ‘Ethics of care’ to inform the nature of the urban public space

“…Physical threats of violence and sexual harassment are often tried to be solved with CCTV surveillance systems in today's cities. Surveillance cameras mostly offer necessary proofs post occupancy of the crime however they fail to completely deter criminal behavior related to violence against women (Boys, 1984;Knapp, 2013;Sheller, 2008). Additionally, surveillance systems have been claimed to inhibit the freedom of mobility as many social critics have also identified the privatization of public space as a key weakening of civic freedom of mobility (Kunstler 1993); (Sorkin 1992).…”