| This project studies the role of Oscar Newmans s Defensible Space theory. It is the reference point for all contemporary discussions about the relation between design of the physical environment. The theory has been adopted in the US and the UK as the norm for the safe design of dwellings and residential neighbourhoods. The popularity of the theory formed the basis for practical guidelines in programmes like Secured by Design . However, since its inital formulation the theory has also been subjected to strong conceptual and methodlogical critiques. The aim of this project is to reformulate Defensible Space theory. By describing its origin and development, existing conceptual obscurities can be displayed and underlying processes that generate spatial defensibility and vulnerability can be clarified. The result will be a theoretical framework: a combination of Defensible Space theory with an adapted perspective on situational crime prevention, and criminological opportunity theories. |
