Environmental design

Environmental design refers to the process of addressing environmental parameters in planning programs, policies or concepts. It is part of the "10 principles of crime prevention" following a U.K. initiative.

Security related aspects and benefits

• Environmental design can impact social/criminal/terrorist behaviour in a positive or negative way.
• Environmental design can mitigate, lessen or even prohibit criminal or terrorist acts.
• Environmental design can reduce crime and terrorist risks and consequences.
• Environmental design can decrease vulnerability and increase resilience.
• Specific environmental design of built infrastructure can limit the damage of terrorist attacks.

Approaches how to address it

• Get familiar with environmental design planning principles;
• Get familiar with general design aspects and structural/material aspects;
• Consider designing out principles (e.g. HM Government: URL: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/counter-terrorism/crowded-places/design-tech-issues?view=Binary [ 2012-05-23]);
• Get familiar with initiatives facilitating environmental design (e.g. International CPTED Association: URL: http://www.cpted.net/ [2012-10-04]];
• Integrate considerations on response and emergency measures in the planning process;
• Integrate citizens through communication and participation methods.

Environmental design principles addressing counter-terrorism

Structural planning principles, according to CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design),are:

• Access control;
• Stand off distances, to keep people and bomber vehicles away from targets;
• Laminated glass;
• Framed structures;
• Bombshelter areas etc.

Related subjects

• Designing out
• Designing in

Footnotes and references

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