While the residential sector has done a good job of designing against crime, commercial building has “failed to embrace” CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) strategies, according to an urban planner.

Released yesterday, the Crime Victimisation survey from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the overwhelming majority of Victorians reported feeling safe in their own neighbourhoods, both at night and during the day.

The survey found that 1.9 per cent of respondents felt unsafe during the day, while 4.6 per cent of respondents felt unsafe during the night time.

Police minister, Bob Cameron, said the figures are testament to “the good work of local police on the beat.” However, strong principles of designing out crime have also had an effect, an urban planner said.

Lisa Riddle, director at urban planning firm, Planisphere, told Architecture & Design that CPTED principles are “established” in Victorian practice and we beginning to bear fruit.

Strategies that minimize the opportunity for crime while maximizing the feeling of safety are “well accepted” in residential design, she said.

These principles include the passive surveillance of public areas, via ground floor windows and balconies, and natural access control.

However, the commercial sector has, in places, “failed to embrace” CPTED strategies, Riddle said.

“We still see situations in which shopping centres are being built with big blank walls on the ground floor. That’s because they want walls rather than windows for shelving on the inside. So we have failed to embrace CPTED on some of these commercial situations, and that’s an area that needs more work.”

These “competing interests” make it important for planners and other regulatory bodies to ensure CPTED principles make it into the final design, Riddle said.

Gemma Battenbough

Victoria-succeeds-in-designing-safe-streets-1736094049.png

Let’s connect!