Examining the effects of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) on Residential Burglary

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) began to develop in the early 1970s as a response to an increase in crime and fear in urban areas. Advancing research in CPTED requires clarifying the theoretical conceptualizations and validating an integrated CPTED model. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a hierarchical CPTED model for urban neighborhoods. Conceptually, this study extends theory by reframing CPTED as a reflective, hierarchical construct and modelling its impact on burglary victimization. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that CPTED is a third-order, reflective construct model with four main dimensions, namely, surveillance, access control, territoriality and maintenance. The results of the structural model support the theoretical findings in the literature that associate high CPTED with low victimization. The scale can be applied for a wide range of landed residential properties. Crime prevention practitioners should take these factors into consideration to make informed decisions for future developments.