An evidence based approach to crime and urban design Or , can we have vitality , sustainability and security all at once ?

The following research calls into question some of the most deeply held assumption that have been made on all sides about the relation between spatial design and security. The most important of these is perhaps the ‘safety in numbers’ argument that challenges long held beliefs that small is somehow beautiful in designing for well-working, low-risk communities. On the basis of the evidence we have presented we can argue that the benefits of a residential culture become more apparent with larger rather than smaller numbers. A no less challenging implication of this body of evidence is that the relation between crime and spatial design may not pass through the intervening variable of community formation. Again, the evidence suggests that the simple fact of human co-presence in space, coupled to simple physical features of buildings or spaces is enough to explain differences in victimization rates in different types of location and area, albeit with variations due to social factors.