ACCESS CONTROL, NATURAL SURVEILLANCE

Access Control, Natural Surveillance

Access Control, Natural Surveillance

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) [pronounced sep-teed] is 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." This definition by C. Ray Jeffrey reflects the expanded, current, more holistic perspective of CPTED, encompassing (1) the criminal offender perspective regarding an environment and the risk of getting caught when committing a crime and (2) the social dynamics, sense of ownership of the environment, and their associated protective actions by persons who work, live, or traverse the environment en route to another destination. (ci.fairfield.ca.us)

This definition and the associated principles of environmental design have been established over decades of research by Wood, Jacobs, Angel, Jeffrey, Newman, Seville and Cleveland. The work of these professionals has resulted in the identification and definitions of concepts which have proven to reduce crime, through deterrence because prevention is not possible, where implemented and improve the quality of life for individuals who inhabit those environments. (pwcgov.org)

For example, Oscar Newman's research for the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the late 1960s included a 2, 740-unit public housing high rise development, Pruitt-Igor, which never achieved more than 60% occupancy and was torn down about 10 years after its construction at a loss of $300 million, because it had rampant crime. Across the street, an older, smaller row-house complex, Carr Square Village, occupied by an identical population, was fully occupied and free of crime during and after the construction, occupancy, and demolition of Pruitt-Igor. Newman's research regarding multiple communities, including Pruitt-Igor, into what caused these differences in crime resulted in a new, but related, term of "defensible space." This concept of ownership as a deterrent to crime has been accepted by professionals in the field and incorporated into the current widely accepted CPTED definition by Jeffrey and the associated CPTED principles. (thecptedpage.wsu.edu)

CPTED Concepts

six concepts are cited in various references that support the design, construction, and utilization processes of an environment to effectively implement CPTED. Two of those concepts have been incorporated into the three CPTED principles noted below.

Natural Access Control: Design features that clearly indicate public routes and discourage access to private structural elements. These features decrease an opportunity for crime by creating in an offender a perception of unacceptable risk when attempting access to private areas, which marks the stranger as a possible intruder. Such design features include placement of entrances and exits, fencing, and landscaping to control traffic flow. (Greg 2008 )

Natural Surveillance: Design features that increase the visibility of a property. These features maximize the ability of persons in the area to see persons in the vicinity and avoid trouble and allow external activities to be seen from adjacent building structures by persons who could call for help. Such design features include landscaping, lighting, window and stairway placement, and building entrance and garage ...