Defensible Space Theory Essay

Defensible space can be defined as a residential environment whose physical characteristics function to allow inhabitants to become key agents in ensuring their own security. Having a good design can help the residents feel a sense of ownership and responsibility for the area around them and this in turn will encourage them to defend it. The more space that is controlled and influenced by the residents the less area there is for the criminal to operate in (Defensible space theory, 2012-2018).
Oscar Newman describes defensible space as a model that can inhibit crime in residential environments. These environments can be specific buildings, projects, or entire neighborhoods. Newman’s first writings focused on urban public housing projects specifically the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis, Missouri (Donnelly, 2010). He found that many of the public areas in the housing project were crime ridden, vandalized, and dirty while more private spaces were much better maintained. He felt it was possible to design the physical environment of these areas in a way that would decrease crime levels by affecting the behavior of both residents and potential offenders therefor e lowering the level of crime (Donnelly, 2010). One of the main challenges with the theory is the claim that it is a form of physical determinism or, the fact that the
Some of the discrepancies may be due to varying methodological approaches; some will focus on the building level, while others focused on the block or neighborhood level. Some examined the impact on residents’ territoriality and surveillance, while others studied offender patterns. These differences have made it hard to determine if the theory works (Donnelly, 2010). Over the past years there has been a growing in acceptance of the significant role that the physical environment plays in determining and shaping crime (Donnelly,