This document evaluates "Secured by Design" (SBD) housing in West Yorkshire, England.
SBD encourages housing developers to design out crime, with particular emphasis on domestic burglary, at the planning stage. SBD is based largely on the principles of physical security, surveillance, access/egress, territoriality, and management and maintenance. In both new and refurbished SBD housing, the incidence of recorded crime was considerably lower than in non-SBD counterparts. SBD in West Yorkshire has evolved as a crime prevention standard. More recently developed SBD housing shows consistently lower rates of burglary compared with that built in the mid-1990's. The evaluation produced no evidence to suggest that reductions in burglary have resulted in increases in likely alternative offenses such as vehicle crime. Fear of crime is lower among residents living in SBD housing. Further study will be needed to determine how far these results can be generalized nationally and what were the specific factors contributing to reducing burglary of SBD homes. Tables, references