ABSTRACT
Insecurity is a major cause of stress. Minimizing this requires resolving conflicting requirements. As most burglary is by teenage opportunists, providing fulfilling activities is a key crime-reduction measure. Community, however, is the prime crime-reduction agent. Community surveillance deters burglary, but risks compromising privacy. Enlarging and strengthening private territory, however, weakens community. Besides positioning windows for unobstructed view of all potential entry points, anywhere not in neighbours’ or passers-by’s view must be inaccessible to strangers. As strangers aren’t necessarily intruders, clear distinctions between private, community and public domains helps distinguish miscreants. But security fencing and gating emanate excluding messages. Such fear-based defences produce mistrust, poisoning society. Conversely, non-offensive defences, like thorny shrubs and water, deter illicit entry whilst enhancing and fostering pride in places. Easily maintainable and repairable designs help places look cared-for, so emanate proprietorial messages. Design for security needs to maximize such trust-building strategies and downplay defensive measures’ negative messages.
