Landscapeand Urban Planning, 26 (1993) 161-118 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam 161 Proximate physical cues to fear of crime Jack L. Nasar’,“, Bonnie Fisherb, Margaret Grannisa “The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA bThe University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA Abstract Fear of crime is a serious problem on university and college campuses. Although fear has many causes, one potential source of fear may arise from the design of the physical environment. In areas having a climate of fear (from incivilities or other factors), proximate cues in the surroundings may affect feelings of safety. In theory, concealment, blocked pros- pect into the concealment, and blocked escape contribute to fear. Following one study that tested this theory in a highly atypical building, the present study extended the test to a more typical campus outdoor space. Fear-maps elicited from students were compared with physical indices of concealment, blocked prospect, and escape. As predicted by the model, fear related to the presence of trees, shrubs and walls which provided concealment, limited prospect and blocked escape. The results highlight the importance of the role of uncertainty in environmental response and suggest that reductions in fear and opportunities for crime on campus may be achieved through changes in the character of campus outdoor spaces. Introduction Over the past decade, crime and fear of crime have become critical concerns on many college and university campuses. Between 197 1 and 1980, the number of crimes reported by 18 universities increased 89% (Lunden, 1983 ) . Another survey found 18 192 criminal occur- rences on 437 North American campuses in 1990 (Towson State University Campus Viol- ence Prevention Center, 1990). Violent crimes such as rape, robbery and assault made up ap- proximately 20% of the occurrences. In a na- tional sample of 10 000 undergraduates, ap- proximately 40% reported victimization during their university experience (Bausell and Ma- loy, 1990). High levels of fear of crime have also been documented on campus. In a national survey, Gallup (1989) found that 38% of college stu- dents in America reported worrying about crime on or near their campus “a great deal” *Corresponding author. or “a fair amount”. A survey at the University of California, Berkeley, found that a signifi- cant portion of the sample, all women, “con- sidered the entire campus to be unsafe at night” (Cooper Marcus and Wischemann, 1990, p. 16 1). Other studies have documented fears as higher among females and after dark (Nasar and Fisher, 1992; Zahn and Perrin, 1992). Students apparently perceive a threat to their safety on campus. Such a climate of fear-by making individuals feel vulnerable, and limit- ing their behavior-can reduce quality of life (Taylor, 1989). Modification of physical features on campus may influence crime and fears. This paper ex- amines the effects on fear of a select set of physical features, found to afford opportuni- ties for crime. The paper outlines broad fac- tors that contribute to opportunities for crime and a climate of fear on campus. The potential liabilities faced by college and university administration in relation to crime on campus are discussed. Then, the paper describes large- scale and proximate cues to crime and fear, and 0 1993 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved 0169-2046/93/$06.00