--- title: CPTED & Accessibility Design | CI Design, Christchurch description: CPTED assessments and accessible design for schools, councils and developers across New Zealand — safer, more inclusive spaces backed by council-accepted evidence. image: https://cidesign.nz/hubfs/Images/Logo/CI.Logo.png.png --- × Expertise [CPTED & Accessibility](https://cidesign.nz/cpted-accessibility?hsLang=en) [Master Planning](https://cidesign.nz/master-planning?hsLang=en) [Sustainable Solutions](https://cidesign.nz/sustainable-solutions?hsLang=en) [Design Consultancy](https://cidesign.nz/design-consultancy?hsLang=en) [Concept Design Management](https://cidesign.nz/concept-design-management?hsLang=en) [Landscape Architecture](https://cidesign.nz/landscape-architecture?hsLang=en) [Projects](https://cidesign.nz/project?hsLang=en) [Insights](https://cidesign.nz/insights?hsLang=en) [Team](https://cidesign.nz/team?hsLang=en) [Contact](https://cidesign.nz/contact?hsLang=en) [Client Portal](https://cidesign.nz/contact?hsLang=en) [![CI Design logo](https://cidesign.nz/hubfs/Images/Logo/CI.Logo.png.png) CI Design](https://www.cidesign.nz?hsLang=en) - Expertise [View all services](https://cidesign.nz/service?hsLang=en) [CPTED & Accessibility](https://cidesign.nz/cpted-accessibility?hsLang=en) [Master Planning](https://cidesign.nz/master-planning?hsLang=en) [Sustainable Solutions](https://cidesign.nz/sustainable-solutions?hsLang=en) [Design Consultancy](https://cidesign.nz/design-consultancy?hsLang=en) [Concept Design Management](https://cidesign.nz/concept-design-management?hsLang=en) [Landscape Architecture](https://cidesign.nz/landscape-architecture?hsLang=en) - [Projects](https://cidesign.nz/project?hsLang=en) - [Insights](https://cidesign.nz/insights?hsLang=en) - [Team](https://cidesign.nz/team?hsLang=en) - [Contact](https://cidesign.nz/contact?hsLang=en) [Client Portal](https://ci-project-view.lovable.app) Service 06 · Safety & inclusion by design # Design that keeps people *safe*, and welcome CPTED assessments and accessibility design built into your project from the first sketch — not bolted on after council asks the hard questions. Safer spaces that feel open, not fortified. [Talk to us about your site](https://cidesign.nz/contact?hsLang=en) [See all services](https://cidesign.nz/service?hsLang=en) 7 Qualities of Safer Places — NZ Ministry of Justice CPTED guidelines NZBC Accessibility reviews aligned to the NZ Building Code 01 Considered from concept stage, not added after construction What it is ## Safety built into the layout, not added on top CPTED — Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design — is a way of shaping the physical environment so it naturally discourages crime and antisocial behaviour, and makes people feel safe in a space rather than surveilled by it. Sightlines, lighting, planting height, entrance placement and maintenance all play a part. Accessibility works the same way. Designed in from the start, it means step-free routes, clear wayfinding and genuine usability for people of all ages and abilities — not a compliance checklist applied at the end. ![Design team coordinating concept plans across architecture, engineering and landscape disciplines](https://cidesign.nz/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Jul%209%2c%202026%2c%2009_58_38%20AM.png) Sightlines, lighting and planting — the tools of CPTED are mostly design decisions, not security equipment Who it's for ## Wherever people gather, and safety matters CPTED and accessibility review comes up most often in these settings — but the underlying principles apply to almost any public or shared space. Schools & education Supervision sightlines across playgrounds and sports facilities, safe drop-off zones, and secure-but-welcoming boundaries. Councils & public realm Reserves, town centres and shared paths where CPTED is often a resource consent expectation, not just good practice. Commercial & retail Car parks, entries and after-hours areas designed to feel — and be — safe without turning into fortresses. Residential developers Subdivisions where street layout, shared space and natural surveillance affect both safety and resale appeal. Transport & infrastructure Stations, paths and interchanges where accessibility and personal safety are inseparable design problems. Why it's worth doing properly ## What good CPTED & accessibility design actually buys you Not just a safer space — a project that moves through council faster and costs less to secure over its lifetime. 01 Lower crime & antisocial risk Environments designed so people are naturally seen, and spaces have clear ownership. 02 Smoother council approval A CPTED assessment addressed at concept stage avoids a request-for-further-information cycle later. 03 Lower long-term security cost Good sightlines and lighting reduce reliance on cameras, guards and after-the-fact fixes. 04 Genuine accessibility Step-free, legible, usable spaces for people of all ages and abilities — not a compliance afterthought. 05 Stronger community ownership Spaces people use, maintain and look out for are the spaces that stay safe over time. 06 Evidence-based decisions Design choices you can defend to a board, a council officer, or a community meeting. How we work ## A four-step review, run alongside your design 01 Site & risk review We walk the site, understand who uses it and when, and identify where sightlines, access or lighting create risk. 02 CPTED assessment A written assessment against the national CPTED principles, in plain language your board or council can follow. 03 Design integration Findings are built directly into the landscape and master plan — not issued as a separate report to argue about later. 04 Council liaison & sign-off We present and defend the assessment to council or your client group as part of resource consent. In practice ## Where this shows up in our work CPTED and accessibility thinking runs through our education and public realm projects — from supervision sightlines across a school sports facility, to lighting and path placement in a public reserve. It's rarely a standalone deliverable; it's a lens applied across master planning, landscape architecture and design consultancy from day one. See our [full project portfolio](https://cidesign.nz/project?hsLang=en) for examples of the disciplines it sits alongside. Common questions ## CPTED & accessibility, explained What does CPTED actually involve? CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) is a design approach that reduces opportunities for crime and antisocial behaviour by shaping the physical environment — sightlines, lighting, planting, access routes and layout — rather than relying on security equipment after the fact. In practice it means checking a design against principles like natural surveillance, clear access control, territorial definition and ongoing maintainability. Is a CPTED assessment required for resource consent in New Zealand? Many New Zealand councils expect a CPTED assessment as part of resource consent for schools, public facilities, subdivisions and larger commercial developments, particularly where public safety or community use is a factor. Requirements vary by district plan, so it's worth checking early — building CPTED thinking in from the start is far cheaper than adding it after a council request for further information. How is CPTED different from just adding cameras or fencing? Cameras and fencing respond to a risk after a space is built. CPTED designs the risk out from the start — positioning paths, entrances and planting so people are naturally visible to each other, so ownership of a space is clear, and so there are fewer places to hide or trap someone. It usually costs less than retrofitted security and creates a more welcoming space, not a more fortified one. When in a project should CPTED be considered? As early as possible — ideally at concept design, alongside master planning. CPTED and accessibility are far cheaper to build in at the layout stage than to bolt on once drawings are locked in or construction has started. Does designing for CPTED and accessibility cost more? Not meaningfully, when it's considered from the start. Most CPTED principles are about how a space is arranged — sightlines, planting height, path placement — rather than added materials or equipment, so the cost is mainly in the thinking, not the build. Every CPTED assessment is run by the same team delivering your landscape design — no handoff, no second consultant to brief. [Meet the team](https://cidesign.nz/team?hsLang=en) ## Building something people need to feel *safe* in? Bring us in at concept stage and CPTED becomes part of the design, not a report you argue about later. 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