The Environmental Approach to Security: A Historical-Theoretical Literature Review on Space and Crime

This article offers a historical-theoretical review of the environmental approach to security. It critically traces its development from the early origins to the latest progress with a multidisciplinary approach by highlighting the importance of the environment in preventing crime. In particular, this review tidies up the subject by emphasizing the founders' foundational ideas - and their importance, which are sometimes misinterpreted; it develops the matter by updating it up to the latest advances, as in the case of crime theories; and it allows further evolution of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), increasingly overlapping with the environmental approach, also pointing out the importance of the fear of crime concept.