CPTED Cases and Policy Proposals for Safe Cities

Abstract

The strategy to control and minimize the possibility of potential crimes in advance physically in terms of urban planning and architectural design according to social changes is "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design(CPTED)." CPTED began to be applied in the United States in the 1970s and is widely considered in Japan in terms of residential environment planning. And recently, as interest in safe cities or crime prevention cities has increased in Korea, CPTED is being integrated in earnest. However, although the physical environment or components of urban and residential areas in Korea are seemingly similar to those of the West, differences exist in the components. Therefore, it is difficult to incorporate CPTED, which has been studied and developed abroad, into Korean cities. In order to find a more efficient way to create a safe residential environment in reality, we need to understand the characteristics of Korean cities and proceed with the study based on them. The CPTED strategy is more effective if applied when initially planning the residential complex than in improving the existing co-residential complex. But this is limited to redevelopment areas such as newly developed towns and cities. In the case of existing co-residential complexes, which may be vulnerable to crime, improvements such as installing additional CCTVs or introducing unmanned crime prevention systems in the complex can have considerable effects. In addition, visibility of the space should be high in order to enable natural surveillance, and above all, it should be bright by light and lighting fixture and should not be obscured from facilities and landscaping. And we should find ways to limit crime by using security measures and lighting to dampen the criminals' psychology before they commit a crime. This cannot be done with the environmental design alone, so physical means such as professional personnel, unmanned security systems, etc. should be combined. However, simple changes in the physical environment have limitations in reducing crime or the fear of crime. The effect of crime prevention is maximized only when the organic solidarity of the community and the community consciousness of the local residents are preceded. An approach that activates the interaction of local communities through the expansion of active participation of residents in local autonomous administration and the vitalization of youth and women's activities should be pursued simultaneously with CPTED. In this regard, it is important to cooperate with local residents, police, local governments, local councils, and civic groups.