Crime Prevention through Environmental Design of Hot Spots (Case Study: Niavaran and Baghershahr)

Since the emergence of scientific thinking about crime and ways to prevent it, criminologists have been focusing on the perpetrator, correcting and rehabilitating criminals for decades. However, since the past few decades, the focus has been on crime prevention through attention to crime victims and their actions for the decline in the motivation for offenders to commit crimes and the impact of environmental design on crime rates have been investigated. In present research, by studying two different neighborhoods of Tehran (Niavaran neighborhood and comparing it with Baghershahr neighborhood of Tehran), it is attempted at a small level, how to apply proper principles of crime prevention and environmental design in these two areas and its impact on crime rate. The main question of this research is how to integrate the simple principles of crime prevention with emphasis on environmental prevention measures to help establish security and reduce crime in different residential areas, streets and alleys.

The research method in this study is a combination of two analytical-descriptive and field methods. For this purpose, resources related to urban engineering design and the principles of criminal architecture were studied and completed by interviewing individuals and authorities using interviews and questionnaires.

The case study of the two selected neighborhoods of Tehran in this study and field studies confirm that most crimes occur in areas where there is ample opportunity for committing crimes because of a lack of environmental design and architecture.