Safety and Security at Two Airport Metro Stations: Insights From Passenger Surveys and CPTED Assessments

• In Event: Communities and Place: Hotspots, Environmental Features, Tourism, and Crime

Abstract

Environmental criminology and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) perspectives suggest that the immediate environment influences the opportunity structures for crime at specific locations. Strategic design can make a space less conducive to crime and encourage prosocial or legitimate use of those places. This study examines and compares the environments of two metro stations at “Category X” (major hub) airports in the Washington, DC region. A CPTED assessment was conducted at both stations to identify how they depart from or align with key CPTED principles. Additionally, in-person passenger surveys were collected at both stations to understand how subway passengers’ perceptions of safety and security differ between these stations. Results from this study will offer insight into how perceptions of safety and security vary across subway station environments and the environmental factors that may contribute to these perceptions.

Authors

• Hailey Khatchatourian, George Mason University

• Cynthia Lum, George Mason University

• Christopher Koper, George Mason University

• Catherine Kimbrell, George Mason University