| Title |
Interpretation of Crime-Prone Locations through Visual Access and Exposure Model: Burglary Case Studies in Apartment Complex |
| Keywords |
defensible space ; space syntax ; visual access and visual exposure ; crimes in apartment houses |
| Abstract |
The purpose of this study was to find out characteristics of crime-prone locations through the theories of Visual Access & Exposure Model. Most of the analyses were conducted on the actual burglary cases in the apartment complexes. The physical characteristics of architectural spaces can be described in terms of the inter-relational logic of spaces, and the visual characteristics can be grasped through potentials for “seeing” and “being seen” on each location within spaces. Through these physical and visual traits of spaces, it is possible to extract social attributes imbedded in the spaces. This possibility is important especially in finding out the specific locations prone to crimes. The Visual Access and Exposure model deals with the visibility issues within a setting and thus it lacks ways to systematically analyze the other settings nearby but not visible from any given location. The use of both of the models in a supplementary mode would certainly be helpful. In light of that, It was found that the crime-prone locations are related to the openness/closeness of the setting. The more open a setting is, the less easy for a criminal to hide himself or herself. In this regard, the locations where one can easily monitor the surrounding area and at the same time one can be less exposed are susceptible to crimes. |