Research FocusThe residential designs of many cities in the world are perceived to be one of the many factors that influence the variance of fear of crime (Agody, 2010).
The perception is squarely dependent on the attitude and reactions towards the environmental designs. In the article “The Relationship between Crime Prevention through Environmental Design and Fear of Crime” by Sakip, Johari, and Salleh, draws one’s attention to how built environment affects crime. The primary focus of the article is to determine the relationship of crime prevented through environmental design practices and crime prevented through environmental design perception in two distinct types of residence (Agody, 2010). These residential areas include the gated and the non-gated ones. The study was carried out in Putrajaya and Bandar Baru Bangi households in Malaysia (Agody, 2010), with the help of structured questionnaires and interviews, which were administered on a face-to-face basis. The study targeted the head of households to respond to the study questions.
FindingsIn the spirit of this study, it was deduced that there was a distinct relationship between the crime prevented through environmental design practices and crime prevented through environmental design perception (Agody, 2010). Also, the research proved that the fear of crime was reduced by high crime prevention through environmental design practices. Further research is also encouraged in this area to give detailed approaches to addressing crime in both residential settings.ApplicationAccording to Cozen et al., (2001) many studies have proven that the design of residential areas significantly impacts on criminal behavior.
Most of these areas that are non-gated and never patrolled are more likely to become targets for criminals when compared to the gated ones. When forming a better control, urban authorities should enact strict measures in ensuring residential areas are gated to reduce the likelihood of crime occurring and also influence criminals perception.
