Review of Empirical Studies on Relationship between Street Environment and Crime

Abstract

Creating a safe street environment is the primary goal for urban planners and urban designers. However, the existing research findings on the relationship between street environment and criminal behavior are various and contradictory, which brings confusion to the practice of urban planning and design. This article reviews literature on crime prevention through street environmental design on three spatial levels—street networks, paths, and nodes. This article also explores the causes of diversity and contradiction in the existing conclusions. Finally, limitations of the existing research, directions of optimization, and further studies in this field are put forward.