Criminological Research of Architectural, Construction and Infrastructural Environment of Modern Cities (Landmarks, Goals, Foreign Experience and Results)

Abstract

In recent decades, in many countries of the world, promising applied scientific studies of architectural, construction and infrastructural environment of cities have been actively pursued for their criminogenicity. They not only expand the range of knowledge about causes and conditions of crime in cities, but also lead to the adoption of significant managerial decisions in the field of urban planning, construction, reconstruction and improvement of the territory of settlements, implementation of which neutralizes and suppresses criminogenic factors. In many cities, the level of crime has significantly decreased and the degree of victimological safety of city dwellers has increased due to carrying out these practice oriented scientific developments based on the connection identified by criminologists between crime and the nature of urban development, the location and appearance of buildings and structures, a layout of settlements, urban design and other environmental factors and following the conclusions and recommendations obtained from their results. Intensive processes of urbanization and urban population growth, which are observed today all over the world, actualize such studies and make them especially actual. This study not only acquaints the reader with the theoretical basis, teleological foundations, features, basic principles, the most recent results and new knowledge obtained by modern scientists-criminologists who study criminogenic factors of architectural, construction and infrastructural urban environment, but also with specific empirical material, obtained by the author and his colleagues, demonstrates the positive effect, heuristic potential and advantages of the direction of scientific research under consideration.