Crime & Crime & Communities
Preventing Anti-Social Behaviour in Public Places
This Policy Note from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) covers how to design public spaces to reduce anti-social behaviour without the need for measures such as CCTV, security gates and other target hardening measures.
Title: Preventing anti-social behaviour in public spaces
Author: CABE
Number of pages: 4
Date published: November 2004
Availability: Download
full report from CABE website 
PDF 135Kb
91% of the public believes that parks and public spaces improve people's quality of life. Community groups estimate that 31% of parks suffer from unacceptably high levels of vandalism and anti-social behaviour (ASB) problems. Most local authorities are percieved by these groups to have had only very limited success in tackling these problems. Initiatives such as Cleaner Safer Greener Communities and Safer Places have been put in place by the Government to help planners, architects, developers and neighbourhoods.
CABE suggests two approaches to reduce ASB:
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Target hardening
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Place making
CABE believe that target hardening leads to the fortification of the environment and believe that by place making - investing in good design and maintenance to create public spaces that people will want to use - can prevent the onset and escalation of these problems.
Target hardening
Target hardening is making targets more resistant to attack or more difficult to remove or damage. In the design of public spaces this can lead to gated communities that exclude non-residents and increased use of CCTV.
CABE cite Nacro findings that there is little evidence to support the widespread use CCTV and Home Office findings that street lighting can lead to a reduction in crime of 20% to support their argument that good design is more effective that increased target hardening in reducing ASB. The report gives the example of a community garden maintained by a residents' association attracting less ASB than a playing field with seven-foot high solid fencing nearby.
Place making
The report examines a study that shows how improved maintenance and increased use of on-site staff to maintain an area can reduce and deter ASB. It recommends the following approaches
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Responding rapidly to problems
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Re-instating park keepers and wardens to reasuure visitors and deter ASB
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Creating open vistas with clear lines of sight
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Engaging the community
Case Studies
The report gives two case studies in support of their argument: A park refurbishment in Oldham and a park warden scheme in Sunderland.
Getting a copy
Download
Preventing anti-social behaviour in public spaces from the CABE
website
PDF 135Kb
Last update: 13 December 2004