Introduction to crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)

<< Back to contents

1.0 Defining CPTED

The concept of designing for a safe environment is commonly termed "safe design", "crime prevention through environmental design", "designing out crime"' or variations on these. For the purpose of this introductory guide the abbreviated term CPTED will be used.

CPTED theory is based on the concept that crime and fear of crime can be minimised through the effective planning and design in our built environment. There are two important components to the CPTED approach. One is to design the environment in such a way that it reduces the opportunity for crime to occur. The other is to design the environment in such a way that it enhances urban safety and, more specifically, perceptions of personal safety.

In an ideal world people would be able to live free of both crime and the fear of crime. In fact, the crime statistics indicate that most of us are not greatly at risk of becoming victims of crime. However, the media, social and economic factors and the types of environments we live in generate this fear which bears little resemblance to reality in the most part. CPTED seeks to improve the quality of urban life by reducing both the fear and opportunity for crime to occur.

This introductory guide outlines the key principles and concepts of CPTED and shows how each one can contribute to the overall goal of creating safer environments. The key to understanding the potential impact of CPTED is to see each element as one part of the whole picture. Each element in isolation will appear to have little impact whereas a combination, suited to the local context, can achieve a much safer environment overall.