New years are about fresh starts and better habits, and at M2L we’re discovering new ways to incorporate safety and security into our work. One way we’re doing that is by viewing our projects using a new area of expertise the firm has added called CPTED, or Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.
CPTED is a multidisciplinary approach that integrates landscape architecture, planning and security to create safer environments and public spaces. M2L principal and founding partner Michael Mauer is an ICA CPTED-certified professional, achieving the designation from the International CPTED Association, and was a featured speaker last February at the USCA annual CPTED conference in San Diego.
“CPTED principles are still relatively new to the landscape architecture profession, but their application in public outdoor spaces is highly practical and increasingly expected by our clients,” Mauer said. “Today, landscape architects are routinely asked to deliver environments that are not only well-designed and welcoming, but also demonstrably safe. CPTED helps bridge that expectation by aligning good design with intentional safety strategies. As I began to incorporate CPTED concepts into site planning and design, I saw firsthand how these approaches can reduce risk, support safer public use, and provide value to clients, owners, and agencies responsible for long-term operations and liability.”
Here’s more insight from Mauer about CPTED and how commercial, institutional and municipal projects are reaping new safety and sustainability benefits from these strategies.
Q: CPTED strategies have been around for decades but have been slow to gain acceptance among landscape architects and urban planners. How did you become an early adopter of CPTED programs?
A: Right, these strategies have been around since the 1960s but largely in law enforcement and risk management circles, and typically more widely acknowledged in states like Florida and California. In the last decade, the ASLA and other industry organizations have helped bring awareness of CPTED applications to landscape architects, and forward-thinking LAs took notice. With my expertise as a certified arborist, certified green-roof professional and long-time commitment to environmental best practices, I noticed many CPTED strategies aligned with my design considerations, and the benefits of viewing our projects through a crime-prevention lens were hard to ignore. The more I learned about CPTED, the more valuable it became as a framework for organizing and expanding safety and security considerations in public spaces. CPTED allows these concepts to be addressed comprehensively and integrated into the broader design process, aligning landscape architecture with other design professionals and supporting clearer coordination and outcomes.”
Q: What is CPTED certification and what does it bring to the table?
A: The ICA CPTED certification indicates specialized training in principles that can reduce crime through careful and thoughtful environmental design. It is a logical extension of our firms work for to site and building design. Professionals certified by the NICP or ICA have completed rigorous coursework to understand and apply design principles in four key areas: natural surveillance (increase visibility and deter criminal activity), natural access control (strategically guide movement to protect sensitive areas, territorial reinforcement (creating a sense of ownership to discourage unwanted behaviors) and maintenance (establishing clean, well-maintained spaces to foster community pride and deter neglect).
In our projects, safety risks can inadvertently begin in outdoor spaces in the form of hidden corners or open access points, inadequate lighting or signage, or even plant overgrowth. Through careful consideration of these key CPTED elements, landscape architects can show planners, architects, and building managers and owners how to reduce and eliminate vulnerabilities and risks earlier, capturing key safety, security and sustainability benefits along the way.
Q: What kind of projects benefit most from CPTED?
A: These strategies and methods can make a difference on any type of project but work particularly well in public realm projects where we have strong experience: parks and gardens, schools and colleges, trails and green spaces, transit and transportation centers, municipal locations, commercial buildings — any neighborhood or public gathering spot. CPTED strategies focus on designs that not only give stakeholders a stronger sense of safety and ownership in the spaces they use but also remove opportunity for bad actors.
Q: You say trees play a leading role in many overarching CPTED design methods. Tell us more.
A: Exactly. Even in our industry and when dealing with all manner of project stakeholders, I’ve noticed the term tree hugger still has unwarranted negative connotations. Most people agree that trees are aesthetically pleasing and even that trees reduce surface temperature in urban areas, but evidence also shows the presence of trees in general and particularly metrics around an area’s tree canopy can considerably affect people’s sense of place and investment in their neighborhoods. CPTED data shows us we can help deter crime, enhance safety perceptions and improve security by planting trees and keeping trees and landscaping healthy and well maintained.
Q: You’ve talked about how local governments, planners and developers are beginning to specify CPTED strategies. How did that come about?
A: Well, the proof is in the numbers. Law enforcement and risk assessment professionals have long been in lockstep on crime reduction methods in the built environment. Most people understand it’s important to remove opportunity and motive for criminals. We construct office buildings with sophisticated security and line-of-sight features to protect and secure employees and visitors.
Now we know there are similar, proven techniques in placement and specification of plantings and other smart project methods that remove opportunities or hiding places for criminals.
That’s why local planners and developers are adding these strategies into their project requirements. For example, METRO Houston has recently prioritized crime prevention and safety by adding CPTED certification to several formal bid processes. Likewise, with student safety at the forefront of the headlines, schools and colleges are exploiting all methods to ensure the outside of their campuses are as safe as the inside.
Q: So what advice do you have for your landscape architecture and urban planning colleagues as we turn the calendar on a new year?
A: Get on board! With safety and sustainability top of mind for project planners and owners, expertise in CPTED technique give professionals in our industry a distinct competitive advantage. But it takes time and experience to get certified properly and understand the application nuances of municipal and local government projects to bring real value.