The Institute for Community Design Analysis, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation which, for the past 25 years, has developed and applied a technology that uses the physical restructuring of housing projects and residential communities to reduce crime and improve stability. The basis of this restructuring is the subdivision of previously public areas of projects and streets and their re-assignment to the control of neighboring residents. This reassignment includes both exterior areas (grounds, streets, parking lots, play areas) and the interiors of multi-family buildings (lobbies, stairs, corridors, elevators, laundry rooms, etc.). This technology is called "Defensible Space" and has proven to have long-term effectiveness at low cost.

In some instances there is a "social" as well as "physical" component to the restructuring, wherein the population characteristics of the development are altered as well. For instance, a high-rise, public housing building occupied by a mix of families with children and seniors may be converted to total occupancy by seniors. This technology is then called "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" or CPTED.

Should an existing housing development not lend itself readily to the re-assignment of residents, "Defensible Space" technology then allows for the re-configuring of grounds and buildings to make security personnel much more effective.

Our Institute was responsible for conducting the research that developed these technologies, and we have been applying our findings to improve conditions in housing projects and residential neighborhoods throughout the country. Over $500 million has so far been spent by housing authorities, municipalities, and private institutions in implementing plans prepared by our Institute.

The creator of this technology and the author of numerous research studies and books about it is Oscar Newman, an architect and planner. He is the Executive Director of the Institute. His most well-known books are Defensible Space, Community of Interest, Design Guidelines for Achieving Defensible Space, and Creating Defensible Space. The funding for the development of these technologies was provided by HUD, the Justice Department, and the National Science Foundation.

In addition to working with communities and housing authorities, the Institute has over the past 25 years conducted over a hundred seminars for housing staff, security personnel, and professionals everywhere in the world. The Institute has also prepared training and "how-to" manuals for various agencies of government, and has produced two one-hour films as training supplements. Both these films have received professional awards.