Security by Design:  Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods in the United States, 1994-1996

This study was designed to collect comprehensive data on
 the types of "crime prevention through environmental design" (CPTED)
 methods used by cities of 30,000 population and larger, the extent to
 which these methods were used, and their perceived effectiveness. A
 related goal was to discern trends, variations, and expansion of CPTED
 principles traditionally employed in crime prevention and
 deterrence. "Security by design" stems from the theory that proper
 design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a
 reduction in the incidence and fear of crime and an improvement in
 quality of life. Examples are improving street lighting in high-crime
 locations, traffic re-routing and control to hamper drug trafficking
 and other crimes, inclusion of security provisions in city building
 codes, and comprehensive review of planned development to ensure
 careful consideration of security. To gather these data, the United
 States Conference of Mayors (USCM), which had previously studied a
 variety of issues including the fear of crime, mailed a survey to the
 mayors of 1,060 cities in 1994. Follow-up surveys were sent in 1995
 and 1996. The surveys gathered information about the role of CPTED in
 a variety of local government policies and procedures, local
 ordinances, and regulations relating to building, local development,
 and zoning. Information was also collected on processes that offered
 opportunities for integrating CPTED principles into local development
 or redevelopment and the incorporation of CPTED into decisions about
 the location, design, and management of public facilities. Questions
 focused on whether the city used CPTED principles, which CPTED
 techniques were used (architectural features, landscaping and
 landscape materials, land-use planning, physical security devices,
 traffic circulation systems, or other), the city department with
 primary responsibility for ensuring compliance with CPTED zoning
 ordinances/building codes and other departments that actively
 participated in that enforcement (mayor's office, fire department,
 public works department, planning department, city manager, economic
 development office, police department, building department, parks and
 recreation, zoning department, city attorney, community development
 office, or other), the review process for proposed development,
 security measures for public facilities, traffic diversion and
 control, and urban beautification programs. Respondents were also
 asked about other security-by-design features being used, including
 whether they were mandatory or optional, if optional, how they were
 instituted (legislation, regulation, state building code, or other),
 and if applicable, how they were legislated (city ordinance, city
 resolution, or state law). Information was also collected on the
 perceived effectiveness of each technique, if local development
 regulations existed regarding convenience stores, if joint code
 enforcement was in place, if banks, neighborhood groups, private
 security agencies, or other groups were involved in the traffic
 diversion and control program, and the responding city's population,
per capita income, and form of government.

Tags: crime-prevention, fear-of-crime, neighborhood-change, neighborhoods, public-safety, security, urban-areas, urban-crime, urban-development, urban-planning, urban-renewal
Organization: Department of Justice