Crime Prevention Through Environment Design CPTED: Applications For Your Community

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Crime Prevention Through Environment Design
(CPTED)Applications For Your Community

• National Crime Prevention Council
• 2006

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Crime Prevention Triangle
Desire
Ability
Opportunity
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Definition of CPTED

• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
  (CPTED) is defined as the proper design and
  effective use of the built environment that can
  lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of
  crime, and an improvement in the quality of life.
  

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CPTED Theory

• The arrangement and design of buildings and open
  spaces can encourage or discourage undesirable
  behavior and criminal activity.
• It is possible to reduce opportunities for crime
  and disorderly behavior by changing the physical
  environment.

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Introduction

• The physical environment can have a dramatic
  effect upon
• Our feelings
• Behavior
• The way in which we view the behavior of others

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Good Design

• Good design increases perceptions of safety and
  creates an environment for positive social
  interaction.

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CPTED Concept

• The proper design and effective use of the
  built environment can lead to a reduction in the
  fear of crime and the incidence of crime, and to
  an improvement in the quality of life.
• C. Ray Jeffery

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 CPTED Goals

• Strategies involving physical design, delineation
  and use of space, location and management of
  activities to
• Reduce opportunities for crime to occur
• Reduce fear
• Improve quality of life
• Provide opportunities for positive social
  interaction

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CPTED Emphasis

• Physical environment
• Productive use of space
• Behavior of people

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Three Distinct Types of Users

• Legitimate users
• using the space for its intended purpose
• Potential offenders
• unacceptable or criminal behavior
• Observers
• ability to see and/or respond

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CPTED and Traditional Crime Prevention

• Primary focus - the use of normal design
  elements, natural strategies
• Organized and mechanical strategies are
  secondary concepts

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Natural

• Use of common physical features and routine
  activities to provide
• casual surveillance opportunities
• manage access
• delineate boundaries
• promote order

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Organized

• Development of specific policies, procedures and
  programs
• The formal use of people, such as uniformed law
  enforcement, private security, and organized
  volunteers

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Mechanical

• Traditional target-hardening security measures
  such as but not limited to
• Locks
• Alarms
• CCTV and web cameras

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Natural Strategies Benefits

• They tend to be more subtle
• Enhance safety without creating a fortress- or
  prison-like environment
• Less Expensive
• Design features routine activities enhance
  safety
• Design features work 24/7

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Natural Strategies Benefits (Continued)

• Creates safe, orderly places
• Reinforces a sense of comfort and well-being
• Unacceptable or potential criminal behavior is
  more easily observed
• Vital to a school learning atmosphere

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CPTED Principles

• Natural Surveillance
• Access Management
• Territoriality
• Physical Maintenance
• Order Maintenance
• Activity Support

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Natural Surveillance

• The design and placement of physical features in
  such a way as to maximize visibility.
• A key statement which easily describes this
  principle is see and be seen.

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Surveillance Strategies

• The placement of design features to allow for
  surveillance opportunities.
• Windows, walkways, assembly areas, corridors,
  stairways, and doors.
• Lighting entrances, exits, walkways, and other
  common spaces.

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Access Management

• The physical guidance of people coming and going
  from a space.

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Access Management Strategies

• The judicial placement of signage, entrances,
  exits, fencing, pavement treatments, landscaping,
  and lighting to guide users to and from a
  facility.
• The use of a comprehensive way-finding system.

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Access Management Strategies

• The availability of optional routes so
  pedestrians can avoid undesirable encounters.
• Limiting the number of entrances and exits.

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Territoriality

• The delineation of private, semi-private, and
  public space.
• The use of physical attributes that express
  ownership.
• The reduction of unassigned space.

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Territoriality Strategies

• The use of art, signage, landscaping, fencing,
  pavement treatments, and other amenities that
  denote pride and ownership.
• The placement of buildings or other exterior
  features in a manner that defines an area of
  influence.

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Territoriality

• The delineation of private, semi-private, and
  public space.
• The use of physical attributes that express
  ownership.
• The reduction of unassigned space.

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Physical Maintenance

• Repair, replacement, and general upkeep.
• Allows for the continued use of a space for its
  intended purpose.
• Serves as an additional expression of ownership.

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Physical Maintenance Strategies

• The selection of dwarf and/or low maintenance
  plant material.
• The timely repair and replacement of vandalized,
  worn or damaged features.

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Order Maintenance

• Attention to and reduction of minor criminal acts
  and inappropriate behavior.
• Measures by which expectations regarding
  acceptable behavior are clearly stated and
  consequences for unacceptable behavior are known
  and applied when appropriate.

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Order Maintenance

• Removing undesirable environmental conditions.
• Enhancing environmental conditions which support
  safety, order and comfort.

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Order Maintenance Strategies

• Using graffiti resistant materials and/or
  graffiti control measures.
• Clearly defining the use of vehicular and
  pedestrian routes.
• Locating formal gathering areas where they may be
  easily observed.

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Safe
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Activity Support

• Planning and placement of activities to enhance
  casual natural surveillance, access management,
  and territoriality.
• Providing facilities/space for programs,
  gatherings, and events.

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Activity Support Strategies

• Planning and placement of supervised outdoor
  recreational or physical educational activities.
• Placing safe activities (staff parking,
  employees lounge) in areas that need additional
  casual surveillance.

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Additional Factors

• Access to Nature
• Crime and Problem Generators
• Design Conflicts
• Distance and Isolation

• Entrapment Zones
• Movement Predictors
• Noise
• Surrounding Community
• Target Hardening

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Access to Nature

• Fresh air, exercise, and access to nature are
  proven ways of promoting comfort and a sense of
  well being while reducing stress and tension.

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Design Conflicts

• Narrow exterior walkways and interior corridors
• Lack of sufficient space for
• recreational activities, public and/or private
  events
• Attractive Nuisances-Unassigned Space

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Distance and Isolation

• Size - design attributes that isolates the user
  and spaces that are infrequently used
• Large open areas
• Loading docks and maintenance areas
• Locker rooms
• Classroom wings temporarily vacant during lunch
  period

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Entrapment Zones

• Designs affording no opportunity to escape or
  retreat from a hazard
• Restrooms
• Locker rooms
• Showers
• Vacant space under stairwells

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Movement Predictors

• Design features that predict movements
• Bridges
• Tunnels
• Overhead walkways
• Stairways
• Long corridors without side entrances/exits

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Surrounding Community

• Adjacent neighborhoods are very important to both
  the perceptions and reality of safety
• Evaluate
• edge conditions
• nearby problem sites
• available support activities

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Target Hardening

• Basic tool for safety and security
• Resistant to criminal attack by installing
• Locks
• Alarms
• Security lighting
• Surveillance cameras

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Target Hardening (Continued)

• May create a negative affect on users and
  visitors.
• Some may perceive the area as unsafe.
• Fear may be as detrimental as the potential risk.

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Target Hardening Alternatives

• Pleasing appearances, positive visual cues and
  conceptually CPTED strategies
• Interior versus exterior security bars/shutters
• Shatter-resistant glazing
• Factory sash windows
• Glass block
• Security screens

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Lowell, MA - Example

• In 1995, Lowells city manager, led other city
  agencies in forming the Managers Impact Team to
  address the extensive drug crime and
  quality-of-life problems across the city. The
  teams, made up of code inspectors, sanitary
  inspectors, law enforcement officers, and
  representatives from the Division of Neighborhood
  Services, walk through selected high-crime
  neighborhoods to spot quality-of-life issues the
  city should address and to encourage residents to
  become active in beautification projects.

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Lowell, MA

• Lowell results (from 1988 to 1998)
• 42 reduction in total crime index rate
• 48 reduction in property crime index rate
• 14 reduction in violent crime index rate
• Rehabilitated several commercial districts
• Refurbished 56 playgrounds
• Mobilized 14 neighborhood associations

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Resources

• City of Saint Paul, Design for Public Safety, St.
  Paul, MN 1993.
• Crowe, Timothy D., Crime Prevention Through
  Environmental Design (2nd Edition), Stoneham, MA
  Butterworth-Heinemann2000.
• Jacobs, Jane, The Death and Life of Great
  American Cities, New York, NY, Random House
  1961.
• Jeffery, C. Ray, Crime Prevention Through
  Environmental Design, Beverly Hills, CA, Sage
  Publications 1977.

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Resources (Continued)

• Kelling, George L. and Coles, Catherine M.,
  Fixing Broken Windows, New York, NY, Simon
  Schuster1996.
• Plaster, Sherry R. and Carter, Stanley L.,
  Planning for Prevention Sarasota, Floridas
  Approach to Crime Prevention Through
  Environmental Design, Tallahassee, FL, Florida
  Criminal Justice Executive Training Institute
  1993.
• Wekerle, Gerda and Whitzman, Carolyn, Safe
  Cities, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY 1995.

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The National Crime Prevention Council

• 1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW
• Thirteenth Floor
• Washington, DC 20036
• 202-466-6272
• 202-296-1356 fax
• www.ncpc.org