Crime Prevention through Pro-Social Design

Dear Colleagues,

The extent to which the design of places and spaces can impact on risk of crime victimisation is well established. Research confirms that buildings, and the spaces between those buildings, will experience varying levels of crime based upon their design, build and management. This method of influencing crime risk through design and layout is referred to as Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). Whilst this crime prevention approach has been evidenced to impact significantly upon crime (Armitage and Monchuk, 2011; Armitage, 2013; Cozens and Love, 2015), very little is known about the secondary benefits of such design approaches. Are there impacts upon anti-social behaviour, drug use, mental health and physical and social wellbeing?

The principles upon which CPTED is based focus largely upon ‘designing out’ the potential offender. Preventing them from entering a space, enhancing the likelihood of them being observed and/or challenged and frustrating their search behaviour. These mechanisms for reducing crime rely upon the offender being an outsider, someone attempting to enter a given space. Yet we know that this is not the case, and many offenders travel very short distances to commit crimes (Wiles and Costello, 2000). Thus, a presumption that they can simply be ‘designed out’ restricts the maximum potential of such an approach.

This Special Issue of Social Sciences aims to explore the extent to which the design of places and spaces can be harnessed to reduce an individual’s propensity or desire to commit crime and to enhance pro-social behaviour. Submissions are welcomed that consider CPTED from a much broader perspective; exploring the impact of design on, for example, mental health, physical and social wellbeing and drug use.

References:

Armitage, R. (2013) Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan: Crime Prevention and Security Management Book Series.

Armitage, R., & Monchuk, L. (2011) Sustaining the Crime Reduction Impact of Secured by Design: 1999 to 2009. Security Journal, 24 (4), 320-343.

Cozens, P., and T. Love. 2015. A Review and Current Status of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). Journal of Planning Literature 30 (4), 393-412.

Wiles, P. and Costello, A. (2000) ‘The Road to Nowhere’: Evidence for Travelling Criminals. Home Office Research Study 207. Research, Development and Statistics Directorate: Home Office.

Prof. Rachel Armitage
Guest Editor

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