by
Tom McKay
I think that most CPTED practitioners have been called to or otherwise visited a property where our first impression is what were they thinking, only to find that it’s problematic and/or experiencing crime. But what about environments where our first instinct is to pull out the camera and start taking pictures, only to find out later that those responsible for its design and/or effective use, knew little, if not anything, of CPTED per se? It is those latter environments that I would like to examine as they can help to teach and/or remind even the most seasoned CPTED practitioner of just how versatile and effective the application of CPTED principles can be, whether by design or not.
One of my earliest remembrances of experiencing what I refer to as intuitive CPTED was when I came across the Trelawny development located in north-west Mississauga, Ontario. The Trelawny development was laid out in a series of “hammerhead” shaped cul-de-sacs using a concept developed by Team Three Planning of Mississauga known as “modular lotting.” This placed the homes on an angle towards the entrance from an adjoining collector street which increased the perception and reality of natural surveillance.
Seeing this caused me to reach for a camera that I was carrying in the car at the time and take the photo that would later be requested and shared with CPTED luminaries Dr. Randy Atlas and Dr. Diane Zahm, the latter of whom was the President of the International CPTED Association at the time. The fact that this photo resonated and made such an impression when speaking with Randy and Diane, speaks volumes about just how well it captures the principles of CPTED notwithstanding the planners responsible for it had never heard the term. When I had the opportunity to sit down with Bill Salter and Binke Meyer of Team Three Planning in Mississauga, I learned that their inspiration for the layout of the development came from Oscar Newman’s concept of Defensible Space which they had effectively traced along the front and sides of the individual homes.
The take-away for CPTED practitioners is that the proper application of Newman’s Defensible Space concept is sufficient enough to achieve CPTED inspired results as they effectively embody the CPTED principles of natural surveillance, access control and territorial reinforcement. The end result was a 20% reduction in residential break-ins, a 20% reduction in thefts from automobiles and the complete absence of auto thefts in the Trelawny neighbourhood as compared to a comparably sized neighbourhood that served as a control-group located across an arterial street where eight vehicles had been stolen.
The same held true when Hendrikus Bervoets, a practicing artist and president of Bervoets Environmental Consulting Ltd. Did a make-over of a Community Centre in central Mississauga a number of years ago. Around that time, the Mississauga Valley Community Centre was a large, problem-plagued recreational centre that was the scene of much vandalism including an exceptionally costly break-in where vandals attacked the building.
Bervoets took an instinctive approach to the make-over of the building which he based upon his desire to create a space “that asks for respect” while being sure to involve user groups as part of the process. In particular, he wanted to “beautify a building where people don’t expect it” and in the process “create a really fabulous space”.
Bervoets was able to accomplish this with a paint technique using different tones of the same colour which had the effect of accentuating the building’s architecture while dressing up the space. So too, the addition of colourful kites, wood panels and the development of a song-bird refuge under a set of concrete stairs in what was otherwise a very drab lobby, transformed it into a bright and cheery space that became a destination instead of just a place to pass through.
The net effect was a better-used facility that was no longer subjected to regular and costly vandalism and abuse which resulted in further security cost savings. For CPTED practitioners, the take away is, that any approach that mimics the CPTED playbook of resident and user interviews while manipulating the environment to improve the quality of life, should be expected to enjoy the benefits associated with putting CPTED principles into practice, notwithstanding that Bervoets was unaware of the concept.
For my part, while I know of many more examples of intuitive CPTED applications, I would like to leave you with this thought. Examples of Intuitive CPTED continues to thrive today in many LEED Certified buildings such as Seneca College’s CITE building located in Scarborough. The CITE building’s expansive use of glass improves visual permeability and, in the process, natural surveillance both inside and out, making these very bright and “open” buildings that not only benefits the environment but the user experience based on research associated with Prospect-Refuge theory.
So the next time that you reach for your camera to record that “CPTED” application, or find yourself admiring an environment for its CPTED attributes, take a moment and ask yourself is this CPTED or just “good design”? Regardless of your answer, and how the environment came to be, remember that CPTED is synonymous with good design, regardless of whether it was intended or not.