The author seeks to examine how milder forms of anti-social behaviour such as public nuisance and a lack of consideration for others, as distinct from serious crime such as murder and terrorism, might be reduced by the influence of prudent design strategies. Industrial design, in particular, is a discipline that seeks to elevate the human condition by appealing to a higher level of physical and cognitive experience than offered by pure function. While it is beyond the scope of this research to investigate the causes of anti-social behaviour, a distinct discipline in itself, any relationship between human behaviour and the built environment can inform industrial design outcomes. This paper explores two areas of this topic. Firstly an examination of the current literature that identifies the extent and type of perceived personal security risk. Secondly, this paper reviews current strategies adopted by various public transport modalities to counter anti-social behaviour. The author concludes by suggesting further development of these strategies to correlate with human behaviour and accepted cultural practice, strategies such as operant conditioning whereby the number of opportunities to commit an offence or create mischief are reduced or taken away altogether. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E216383.
Abstract