Combating crime through design : a case study of the residential neighbourhoods in Zejtun

Abstract

This dissertation will observe design issues with respect to crime prevention. Physical and social factors, together with management, are the main variables of a successful area or a failure of an area. The complex link that exists between crime and design is well known abroad, but there's not enough awareness in Malta about it. This dissertation will observe the way people react to different planning and design characteristics and how it can initiate a chain reaction according to opportunities created by design. Many observations were carried out in this dissertation and together with other statistics and facts, the link between design and crime will be analysed. From this analysis, one can notice that the relationship does exist and the lack of its awareness may be resulting in unwanted situations. To conclude, a number of points will be pointed out, to show that design could be intelligently used for the community to benefit from it and to improve the residents' quality of life.