Crime Prevention through Environmental Design

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is another string to the bow of the Safe City Nelson project.

What CPTED is

The design of buildings and the arrangement of streets, parks and other outdoor spaces can influence the opportunity for crime and the level of fear of crime.

Careful environmental design can help make places less susceptible to crime and enable people to feel more comfortable outdoors. Crime statistics indicate that there is no significant risk of becoming victims of crime, especially in Nelson.

However, these figures bear no resemblance to the level of fear individuals may have at the possibility of becoming a victim. It is this fear of crime, particularly of attacks associated with theft or
sexual motives, which inhibits the mobility of community members. Women and the elderly, for example, suffer disproportionately from the fear of crime.

An improvement in the quality of life, by reducing crime and the fear of crime, is essential and a basic right for everyone. CPTED is one important strategy for achieving this.

How it works

Every property owner can do any number of things to make Nelson an even safer city - certainly to make it feel safer - and the first step will be to workshop the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) findings. Findings highlight issues we are all familiar with, such as dark alleyways leading off the main streets.

Contact

Please contact the Safe City Community Liaison Adviser on +64 3 546 0368 for more information.