These measures include various forms of target hardening, defensible space architecture, community crime initiatives, and a number of less easily categorized measures such as improved coordination of public transport with public closing times or more sensitive public housing allocation policies that avoid concentrating children in particular developments. Traditional criminological theories have been concerned with the etiology of crime -- the fundamental social and psychological causes -- and have provided little support for situational measures not aimed at root causes. An alternative theoretical perspective that gives greater weight to situational factors in crime and to the ways these are taken into account by potential offenders provides better conceptual underpinning for situational prevention. Various examples of successful situational measures, as well as a general pessimism regarding the effectiveness of other forms of crime control, might lead one to expect a growth in situational crime prevention. This is unlikely, however, because people and organizations are not easily persuaded to take the necessary action, particularly when the risks of victimization are small. Moreover, for some people, situational prevention has unattractive connotations of 'big brother' forms of state control and of a 'fortress society.' Tables, figures, and some 110 references are included. (Author abstract modified)