Security in cities: geoprevention, a new approach

Abstract

Security has acquired during this new century an unknown meaning; whatever, today is a factor to assess the quality and ways of life related to urban design. Because of this, today, there is new paradigms as “geoprevention”. “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) has proven to be a useful, effective and very concrete strategy to prevent crime and feelings of insecurity, integrated in the multidisciplinary approach of “geoprevention”. This strategy serves to analyzed the relation between urban environment and public security as a consequence of different sociocultural, economic and political situations. Considering this CPTED is based in vulnerability. In order to reduce that vulnerability the following measuresare used: natural access control, natural surveillance, territory reinforcement, maintenance of public spaces and community prevention. The implementation of future strategies should be connected comprehensively to other territorial strategies.