Architecture

Book chapter, 2019

This chapter focuses on crime prevention in relation to architecture as a discipline and as built material environment. It discusses earlier research and presents developments from the EU project ‘Resilient Infrastructure and Building Security’ (RIBS). In the chapter, we insist on the term ‘architecture’ (instead of the ostensibly more neutral term ‘built environment’) as historical, social, aesthetical and cultural values ought to be considered in crime prevention discussions. The chapter begins with an overview of the main principles and theoretical developments in the field of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). This is followed by a section illustrating important contributions that architects have made to the instantiation of criminological principles. The last section of the chapter presents computational tools that have been developed to support architects in designing more secure and more resilient buildings. We conclude with critically examining and discussing what contribution these elements have made to enhance and nuance CPTED concepts, methods and practices.