1st Edition

Crime and Planning Building Socially Sustainable Communities

By Derek J. Paulsen, Ph.D. Copyright 2013
    205 Pages 37 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The form and layout of a built environment has a significant influence on crime by creating opportunities for it and, in turn, shaping community crime patterns. Effective urban planners and designers will consider crime when making planning and design decisions. A co-publication with the American Planning Association, Crime and Planning: Building Socially Sustainable Communities presents a comprehensive discussion of the interconnections between urban planning, criminal victimization, and crime prevention.

    An introduction into the main concerns at the intersection of criminology and community planning, the book first provides an overview of crime patterns. It then explores major issues within planning and their impact on crime. Critical topics discussed include connectivity, mixed-use developments, land use and zoning, transit-oriented design, and pedestrian trails, greenways, and parks. The remaining chapters explore:

    • Crime prevention theories
    • Crime prevention as a central component of sustainability
    • How to incorporate social sustainability and planning guidelines into local planning decisions
    • Policy discussion of issues such as zoning
    • How tools such as smart growth and form-based codes relate to crime and crime prevention
    • Examples of how planning decisions can impact crime patterns in both a residential and retail setting, and what has already worked in real-world communities

    As communities continue to grapple with foreclosure, sprawl, and infill/redevelopment, a sound understanding of how the built environment impacts crime is of increasing importance. This book provides planners with the tools and knowledge necessary to minimize the impact of crime on communities with the goal of creating socially sustainable communities.

    Introduction
    Why a Disconnect?
    Crime, Planning, and Sustainability
    Structure of This Book
    A Brief Overview of Crime and Crime Issues
    Major Issues in Crime and Urban Planning
    Connectivity
    Mixed Land Use
    Zoning
    Transit-Oriented Developments
    Parks, Pedestrian Trails, and Greenways
    Redefining Sustainability
    Redefining and Refocusing Sustainable Communities
    Integrating Crime Prevention into a Socially Sustainable Planning Program
    Current Crime Prevention-Planning Programs
    Integrating Crime Prevention into the Everyday Planning Process
    Cooperation
    Efficient and Consistent Process
    Participation
    Context
    Eliminate Opportunities
    Balance
    Tools for Understanding Context
    The Neighborhood Impact Statement Model
    NIS Example
    Design Guidance
    Connectivity
    Mixed Land Use
    Transit-Oriented Developments
    Parks, Pedestrian Trails, and Greenways
    Planning Policy and Socially Sustainable Communities
    Smart Growth
    Form-Based Codes
    Suburban Retrofitting
    Case Studies
    Residential Neighborhood Case Study
    Housing
    Street Network
    Land Use and Zoning
    Crime Patterns
    Retail District Case Study

    Biography

    Derek J. Paulsen, PhD is currently the first ever commissioner of planning, preservation and development for the City of Lexington, KY as well as a pro¬fessor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Eastern Kentucky University. In his prior work as the director of the Center for Crime and the Built Environment (CABE) at Eastern Kentucky University, Paulsen worked with numerous police agencies on crime analysis and crime prevention issues. In addition to his work as commissioner, Dr. Paulsen is active in research on crime analysis, crime prevention, and urban planning issues. He is the lead author of two books on the spatial analysis of crime data as well as numerous articles dealing with crime mapping and crime prevention issues that have appeared in such journals as Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, and International Journal of Police Science and Management. A frequent presenter on crime mapping and crime prevention topics at both academic and professional conferences, Dr. Paulsen has been an invited speaker at numerous international conferences including the NIJ MAPS Conference, NIJ Conference, United Kingdom Crime Mapping Conference, and the American Planning Association Conference.</p>