The study is an exploration of the perceptions of defensible space, crime, and fear of crime among residents in three large metropolitan neighborhoods. The goals are to identify the specific physical characteristics that lead residents to perceive hypothetical neighborhoods as defensible or indefensible, measure residents' perceptions of crime and fear of crime based on personal experiences and observations of their actual neighborhoods, and determine whether perceptions were consistent with crime prevention scholars' definitions of defensible neighborhoods. The findings support second-generation crime prevention through environmental design premises about the importance of both physical environment characteristics and social characteristics when designing or evaluating residential areas for defensible space. Policy implications are discussed. (Published Abstract)