Prevenção do crime por meio do espaço estabelecido: estudo de caso sobre a região localizada no cruzamento da avenida José Leon com a rua José Alves Cavalcante

Abstract

This work addresses the importance of public space as a tool for interpersonal interaction, an essential factor for guaranteeing quality of life, considering the social nature of men. However, the congregating function of these places is weakened due to the degradation of the environment and, consequently, the growth of crime and the feeling of fear, which makes the spaces of collective dispute increasingly abandoned. In this sense, considering that public spaces influence human behavior, it is essential to seek crime prevention strategies addressed to reduce opportunities for the practice of criminal behavior. Therefore, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) emerges as an innovative approach to prevent crime by manipulating the characteristics of the physical environment. That’s why, in this study, we seek to understand how the conditions of the common space impact on public anguish and how they pass from prevention through the management of the built space. In order to achieve the objectives, an exploratory research approach is used, through document analysis and a case study that involves the employment of adolescents in the community, seeking to verify how the space’s visitors perceive the urban changes carried out and their reflections in relation to crime rates and the feeling of fear. It is concluded, then, that the adoption of strategies aimed at changing the environment in order to prevent future crimes result in perceptible improvements in the sense of security and quality of life of citizens.