Secure homes: the future of anti-crime technology

The premise of defensible space and crime prevention through environmental design is that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the incidence and fear of crime and to an increase in the quality of life. Defensible-space principles suggest the reduction of hard architecture or a fortress mentality in favor of more natural barriers to reduce the opportunity of crime. Three basic defensible-space strategies-natural access control, natural surveillance, and territorial reinforcement-are discussed. How these will be embodied in a 21st century house is described.<>