ISSN 2736-1586
African Journal of Geography and Regional Planning ISSN 3627-8945 Vol. 6 (5), pp. 001-026, May, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
What do place-based crime prevention strategies mean for the Turkish planning system and urban transformation?
Aygün Erdo an
Alparslan Türke Caddesi 31. Sokak 10 No'lu bina, 06510 Be tepe/Yenimahalle Ankara-Türkiye.
E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: (+90 312) 222 12 34 Ext: 227. Fax: (+90 312) 222 26 61.
Accepted 07 February, 2019
Abstract
According to place-based crime theories, the distribution of crime incidents in a city is related to how different areas of a city are developed; and consequently, by developing an understanding of the relationship between the distribution of crime and the urban structure, the potential for crime prevention through urban planning and design may be increased. This paper aims to explore this relationship in a case study area, and looks into new ecology theories such as Defensible Space, CPTED and Crime Pattern in relation to the Turkish planning system and the ongoing urban transformations from a critical perspective. For this purpose, the spatial and temporal distributions of place-related crime incidents against people and property in a one-year period were studied in a particular police station zone, that of Etlik, Ankara, which contains planned, squatter and in-transition settlements. In parallel to place-based theories, general properties of crime incidents displayed a clustering in space and time; and were concentrated primarily in planned areas. The paper concludes with an elaboration of the problems in the Turkish planning system and urban transformation programs that have been implemented in Ankara and other cities, and proposes concrete strategies for the place-based prevention of crimes in the planning system.
Key words: Planning/designing out crime, place-based crime theories, new ecology of crime, Turkish planning system, urban transformation in Turkey.