The strategies on safe city making through hotspot analyses on crime

This study aims to analyze the characteristics of crime occurrence in the case area of Seoul according to location of land use patterns, parks and elementary schools and to suggest the strategies on safe city making based on the defensible space formation and the offensive space elimination. The two crime prevention strategies are strongly recommended as well for urban management. As a methodology, the statistical time-space pattern analyses are used to identify the hot spots of crime occurrence in Seocho-gu of 2004 and 2006. Interestingly, the results show that crime hot spots are often observed in the transition areas between commercial land and residential area, and mixed land use areas with large floating population. This strongly reveals that physical environment may have an effect on crime occurrence and even prevent it through a proper urban planning, such as Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). Accordingly, one may provide safe urban environment through providing buffer zones in front of crime-ridden areas, or continuing urban regeneration projects. Various urban planning elements and factors should be discussed and applied to urban planning hierarchy after considering socio-cultural aspects. The results of this study are expected to be utilized to the regional characteristics and urban planning factors so that fear of crime decrease and then to promote safe city construction afterwards which is being propelled nationally.