Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a pro-active crime prevention technique that believes that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the incidence and fear of crime as well as an improvement in the quality of life.

The underlying objective of CPTED is to help various disciplines do a better job of achieving their primary objective, with added by-product of reducing crime and loss.

CPTED review utilizes three overlapping design concepts:

• Natural Surveillance

• Natural Access Control

• Territorial Reinforcement

Natural Surveillance is a design strategy that is directed at keeping undesirables and intruders under observation. Designing for natural surveillance involves providing ample opportunity for legitimate users, engaged in their normal activities, to observe the space around them. Natural surveillance provides for visibility through the proper and strategic placement of physical features and/or activities.  Elements of natural surveillance include the proper placement and orientation of building structures, entrances, windows and landscaping including plant selection, placement and maintenance.  

Natural Access Control is a design strategy that is directed at deceasing crime opportunity. The primary thrust of an access control strategy is to deny access to a crime target and to create a perception of risk for the offender. This is accomplished by directing normal access to observable areas and denying access to unobservable areas.

Territorial Reinforcement is an “umbrella” design strategy that realizes that physical design can create or extend a sphere of influence so that users of the property develop a sense of proprietorship, which is discernible to offenders. This concept is intended to clearly delineate a space as public, semi-public or private space so as to foster its appropriate sense of ownership