Design Out Crime: Creating Safe and Sustainable Communities
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Design Out Crime: Creating Safe and Sustainable Communities Ian Colquhoun1 Crime, fear of crime and anti-social behaviour have a serious affect on many people’s quality of life; they are key driving forces that frequently determine the choice of where people wish to live, work and send their children to school. Getting the design of buildings and the environment right is becoming increasingly more important, as reflected in the growth of interest in CPTED. It is vital for architects, planners and everyone else involved to understand the importance of addressing the issues. For their part, Architectural Liaison Officers (Crime Prevention Design Advisors) need to be fully aware of the wider design criteria to which they work. Three complementary publications that have appeared very recently provide the kind of guidance that is needed. Colquhoun (2004) is concerned with housing, neighbourhood design and local facilities, using case studies from Britain and overseas. Town et al (2003) also concentrates on residential design, but the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2004) gives wide coverage of town centres, commercial and health buildings, schools, parks, car parks and transport. This paper draws out the key findings and recommendations of these three publications, which should be taken seriously and used constructively. What is clear from all three is the need, especially in urban and housing regeneration, for a joined-up approach to planning and design which links physical with cultural, social and economic development. Resident participation is essential, including the involvement of young people, who have such an impact on public safety and its perception. In this way it is possible to create safe and sustainable communities. Key Words: CPTED; accessibility; participation; management; youth
Introduction Much of my professional life as an architect and town planner has been concerned with the design of new housing and the regeneration of existing public-sector estates. During the past three years I have related this experience to the issue of reducing crime and fear of crime in housing, which has become such a major concern of society. This has culminated in a book, Design out Crime: Creating Safe and Sustainable Communities (Colquhoun, 2004), referred to here as Design out Crime 2004. This paper outlines the major principles of the book and compares it with two other recent, similar publications: •
Safer Places: The Planning System and Crime Prevention (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004), referred to here as Safer Places 2004; and
•
Design Against Crime: Secure Urban Environments by Design: Guidance for the Design of Residential Areas (Town et al, 2003), referred to here as Design Against Crime 2003.
Copyright © 2004 Perpetuity Press Ltd
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Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal 2004, 6 (4), 57–70
The three publications are complementary, together providing a significant knowledge base that will be invaluable for planners, architects, crime prevention advisors, developers
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