The European Union has also for some time considered it necessary to start up a Community action in terms of urban planning for security.  The case study was France, a country with a law that establishes all new developments and regenerations of sizes above a certain predetermined figure must undergo and pass a specific examination by the ‘Départment’ commissions. Italy too was in the forefront of laying the foundations for a real guide to “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design”. The European norm UNI/CEN TR 14383-2 for “anticrime” urban planning, developed under the strong influence and with the direct commitment of LabQUS whose methodology was deployed, is aimed at all planners and architects, administrators and those working in public security.

It mainly consists of a series of guiding principles and procedures followed by a check list identifying the most important criteria that planning should take into account for the security of the area on which it is for. The main message lies in the recommendation to create working groups that are a mix of the various public and private parties involved.

The norm’s purpose is to make administrators and planners responsible for carrying out careful planning and proper management of buildings and public spaces; in other words, streets, squares, parks, transport, residential districts, office complexes, schools, hospitals and public equipment.

LabQUS, which is today involved in the norm’s revision and updating process, can fulfil projects and provide local support to planners in the development of initiatives that comply with the European technical norm.