Comparative Analysis of Urban Design and Criminal Behavior: A Study of New Urbanism and Defensible Space as they Pertain to Crime

Abstract

This research evaluates the correlation between urban design and criminal behavior. Environmental designs observed are New Urbanism, also known as Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) and Neo-Traditional Neighborhood Design; and Defensible Space, otherwise known as Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) or Secure by Design (SBD). This study analyzes and compares crime rates in Minnesota cities and neighborhoods which have characteristics of one of these urban designs or a 3rd, Vernacular Design. Similar research has been done in a 2004 thesis by Marie E. Hafey titled New Urbanism Versus Defensible Space: Design Philosophies Related to Neighborhood Satisfaction and Perceived Crime, which addressed the correlation between urban design and perceived crime. A recent Operation Scorpion web posting also claimed New Urbanism is crimogenic. There is little research to either support this argument or refute it. This research aims to find whether or not either of the two urban designs, Defensible Space or New Urbanism, is conducive to criminal behavior