CPTED (Crime prevention through environmental design)
Arising from Newman's theory of defensible space, the theory of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is premised on the idea that crime is linked to physical features of the environment and not solely predicated on individual, structural, or institutional measures. CPTED enjoyed a flourish of support in the early 1970s but, following years of limited success, it has fallen by the wayside in criminological theory. Currently, CPTED has yet to be definitively demonstrated as a successful strategy for suppressing crime. 
 
 
Keywords: 
 
Crime Prevention; 
Deterrence; 
Ecology; 
Environmental Criminology; 
Police
Espacio público para todos: using purpose-oriented amenities to enhance childhood development in Mexican public spaces
The issues infested in urban slum communities are many, of which I had no problem indentifying a dilemma specific to my interests in landscape architecture and socially equitable places. However, sustainable solutions specific to these dynamic urban forms and communities are unfamiliar academic territory. Extreme levels of poverty fostered in these communities cause deficiencies in a child’s development, who are often without access to a formal, structured education system (UNDP, 1999). Public spaces are particularly stimulating environments for youth learning and development, but most urban environments in shanty towns host a milieu of violence and crime, making most public streets and vacant lots unsafe. These conditions are ripe for visionary designers to intervene, improving the physical aspects of urban public spaces and specifically bettering the quality of life for children living in these communities. Answering this question required literature research and precedent studies, which was important for developing a thorough understanding of developmental theory as it relates to socio-economically disadvantaged children. By focusing my studies on public spaces in the neighborhood Vistas del Cerro Grande in Chihuahua, México, I began to understand the cultural idiosyncrasies specific to people living in urban shantytowns. Data collected from the neighborhood via surveys, interviews, community meetings, and an auto-ethnographic video study with fifth and sixth grade students provided an introduction to the community and the larger themes and objectives for future public space design. Visiting comparable communities in México City, México deepened my understanding as I was able to observe the daily lives of México City residents with diverse socio-economic statuses, hear their individual perspectives on the history and cultures, and relate to their frustrations with current political, economic, and societal systems. The methodologies described above culminated in a design typology specific to Vistas del Cerro Grande, consisting of public streets, pedestrian access ways, plazas, and vacant lots. These types form the backbone of my research report, which represents an evidence-based design palette of purpose-oriented amenities for positive childhood development in shanty town public spaces. The typology caters to the specific needs of the Vistas del Cerro Grande community, as identified in the research.
The Ecology of Chicago: Persistence and Change, 1930-1960
Two sets of factor analyses are performed upon census data for Chicago from 1930 to 1960. The first method explores changes in ecological structure by comparing four separate factor analyses, each done at a different point in time. The second method explores the structure of ecological change and is based upon the factor analysis of differences in variables over three time periods. The first method reveals a marked stability in Chicago's ecological structure, with important changes being a decline in explanatory power of the family-status factor, a rise in explanatory power of the racial-ethnic factor, and the linkage of age and racial-ethnic segregation in the city. These findings are related to propositions in the factorial ecology literature. The second method reveals highly variable factors of change from one decade to the next, which appear to reflect unique societywide changes occurring in each period. The methods are briefly compared. In general, the first method most clearly elucidates stable and persistent ecological structure, while the second method is more sensitive to short-run ecological change taking place within the established structure.