Design Against Crime ─ A Human-centred Approach to Designing for Safety and Security

Design against Crime begins by surveying crime trends, levels of different kinds of crime, related social issues and the resulting costs, both human and financial, that design can help to reduce. Part 1 continues by weighing up more and less traditional approaches to crime prevention, whether they be police led (detection, punishment and treatment), planning led, spatially led (through Space Syntax principles, for example), or community led. The authors then explain how the Design Against Crime initiative has developed from security-focused design solutions to more proactive design-led approaches to crime reduction. Part 2 presents examples of design solutions to crime problems in the form of case studies explaining the processes used and the resulting benefits. Examples include both products and environments: seating, bus shelters, tamperproof containers, personal safety devices, window blinds, housing and multistorey car parks, amongst others. In Part 3 Design against Crime steps back to draw together lessons and guidelines from the case studies and related research, formulating a design process for addressing crime through design. The authors evaluate the different methodologies used in both local and national contexts. The last two chapters define future drivers and suggest ways in which legislation and market-driven approaches are required to cope with future problems, including terrorism and crime related to new technologies. References and useful contact and resources information are also included.

Dr Caroline L. Davey, Andrew B. Wootton and Mike P. Press.