Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically review the core findings from recently published place‐based crime prevention research. The paper aims to critically evaluate the available evidence on the contribution of crime prevention through environmental design as a crime prevention strategy.Design/methodology/approach: Large‐scale evaluations of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) are reviewed with a view to clarifying current knowledge on the evidence of crime prevention through environmental design.Findings: The review concludes that there is a growing body of research that supports the assertion that crime prevention through environmental design is effective in reducing both crime and fear of crime in the community.Research limitations/implications: Although the paper may not review all the evaluations of CPTED, it nonetheless provides a detailed compilation and overview of the most significant research in the area, including an extensive and modern bibliography on the subject. Research implications will be the subject of a forthcoming paper.Practical implications: CPTED is an increasingly fashionable approach and is being implemented on a global scale. Additionally, individual components such as territoriality, surveillance, maintenance, access control, activity support and target‐hardening are being widely deployed. However, the evidence currently available is inconclusive and much criticised, which effectively prevents widespread intervention and investment by central government. The paper details the difficulties associated with demonstrating the effectiveness of CPTED.Originality/value: The paper concludes that although empirical proof has not been definitively demonstrated, there is a large and growing body of research, which supports the assertion that crime prevention through environmental design is a pragmatic and effective crime prevention tool. This review provides an extensive bibliography of contemporary crime prevention through environmental design and a follow‐up paper will discuss the future research priorities for it.

This article reviews the current status of the concept of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). It provides an overview of its history and origins and defines how it is commonly understood and conceptualized. Globally, CPTED is an increasingly popular crime prevention strategy supported by governments all over Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as in Asia and South Africa. This review inspects some of the evidence associated with CPTED and provides a detailed overview of the main criticisms facing this field.

Despite a vast body of empirical evidence emphasizing the significance of urban landscapes for improved quality of life, academic literature examining the impacts of urban consolidation on established vegetation and trees remain limited. This paper outlines the economic, social and environmental benefits of urban vegetation and trees and investigates the consequences of urban consolidation on established vegetation and trees in Como, an inner suburb, south of Perth, Western Australia (WA). It presents data from a longitudinal study utilizing photographic evidence and visual observations over several years. This study reveals an overwhelming trend for the removal of all landscaping when land is redeveloped under the current policy direction of urban consolidation. This paper investigates the importance of urban vegetation and trees, as a significant and valuable proportion of ‘greenery’ in urban areas. A conclusion drawn is that there exists little or no incentive for developers to preserve established urban vegetation and trees and only limited capacity to regulate for the protection of established ‘greenery’ in the private domain. Finally, the authors provide some recommendations, which emerge from this research.