Research on crime and the physical environment supports the hypothesis that the proper design and effective use of the physical environment can help to reduce crime and fear in various settings. Design features such as better locks, doors, and windows; the control of access to buildings and neighborhoods; and the creation of observable or defensible space can help reduce certain crimes as well as the fear of crime. Because complete information on the dynamics of the relationship between crime and the built environment is lacking, it is not possible to prescribe the specific kinds or number of physical design strategies to use to prevent crime or the conditions under which certain strategies are most likely to be effective. Consequently, a comprehensive approach to crime prevention which integrates physical design strategies with other community and police strategies is most likely to be effective in preventing crime. It is both the features of the physical environment and the behavior of persons with respect to those features that determine the usefulness of physical design strategies. Environmental design features must be acted upon and responded to consistently if they are to impact crime. Nineteen references and 1 note are provided.