Connecting communities and opportunities: prospects for advancing CPTED in public transit infrastructure

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) employs built and natural environmental features to deter criminal activity and build community. Safety is cited as one barrier to the greater use of public transportation systems; design elements based in CPTED can help riders feel safer. Through reviews of design documents from three transit agencies, 23 site assessments, and a limited rider survey, opportunities to integrate CPTED into the design of transit infrastructure are identified. The relationship between reported crime and CPTED implementation is also investigated. Improving safety to increase transit ridership is one viable path to further connect communities with opportunities.