Defensible space

Abstract: FOREWORD The appearance of Oscar Newman's Defensible Space in 1972 signaled the establishment of a new criminological subdiscipline that has come to be called by many " Crime Prevention Through Envi­ ronmental Design " or CPTED. Over the years, Mr. Newman's ideas have proven to have such signifi­ cant merit in helping the Nation's citizens reclaim their urban neighborhoods that we at HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research asked him to prepare a casebook to assist public and pri­ vate organizations with the implementation of Defensible Space theory. Information about this pro­ cess is presented for three distinct venues: in an older, small, private urban community; in an existing public housing community; and in the context of dispersing public housing throughout a small city. This monograph is very special because it draws directly from Mr. Newman's experience as a con­ sulting architect. Indeed, we asked the author to share with us both his perspective on creating viable change and his personal observations on key lessons learned. By publishing Creating Defensible Space, PD&R is pleased to be part of the continuing growth and evolution of Defensible Space as both a criminological concept and a proven strategy for enhancing our Nation's quality of urban life.

Abstract: Situational crime prevention can be characterized as comprising measures (1) directed at highly specific forms of crime (2) that involve the management, design, or manipulation of the immediate environment in as systematic and permanent a way as possible (3) so as to reduce the opportunities for crime and increase its risks as perceived by a wide range of offenders. These measures include various forms of target hardening (making the objects of crime less vulnerable), defensible space architecture (which encourages residents in housing projects to exercise territorial surveillance of the public spaces outside their dwellings), community crime prevention initatives (e. g., neighborhood watch and citizen patrol schemes), and a number of less-easily categorized measures such as improved coordination of public transport with pub closing times, or more sensitive public housing allocation policies that avoid the concentration of children in particular housing developments. Traditional criminological theories ha...

Abstract: Why do some blocks have more crime, or their residents have higher fear levels, than other blocks? In an effort to answer this question we proposed a model that incorporated physical defensible space features, local social ties, and territorial functioning. The model was tested using data from a multistage, stratified sample of 687 Baltimore households on 63 blocks. At each household, surveys were completed and on-site physical features were photographed and subsequently rated. Records of police activity on each block were also obtained. Our model explained significant portions of crimes of violence to persons (18%) and block fear (37%). It was also able to predict a significant amount (13%) of the variation in individual-level fear. At the block level: defensible space features dampened crime and fear but not as strongly as expected; and local social ties dampened crime and fear directly, and indirectly via an enhancement of territorial functioning. A model predicting individual fear levels, controlling ...