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Dr Paul Cozens

Image of Staff Member
    • Role:
    • Senior Research Fellow
    • Department:
    • Dept of Urban & Regional Planning
    • Location:
    • Architecture and Planning 609
    • Telephone:
    • +61 8 9266 7174

Dr Paul Cozens is a Senior Lecturer and former Curtin Research Fellow with a multi-disciplinary background who joined Curtin in June 2006. Paul is a specialist in crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), which is also known as “designing out crime”. His research focuses on the use and management of the built environment to reduce opportunities for crime. He has experience as an academic, consultant and public servant in the field of environmental criminology and particularly designing out crime theory, policy and practice. He has conducted research and applied designing out crime to a range of urban environments including residential environments, railway stations, shopping centres, public access ways, community facilities and city centres.

Paul obtained a First Class BA (Hons) degree in “Sustainable Environments” at the University of Glamorgan (UK) in 1997, which was multi-disciplinary in nature and contained elements of planning, criminology, sociology, transport, ecology, economics and anthropology.

He was awarded his PhD in 2000 which investigated perceptions of crime and ‘defensible space’ associated with characteristic housing designs in the UK. From 2000-2004 he conducted a 4-year research fellowship on perceptions of crime in and around railway stations leading to the implementation of a range of design improvements to the stations including transparent shelters, improved lighting and reconfiguring station design. In March 2004 Paul migrated to Perth.

From 2004-2006 Paul was employed as a Principal Policy Officer at the Office of Crime Prevention’s Department of Premier & Cabinet in WA to develop the Designing Out Crime Strategy and policy for WA. Other duties included the co-management of $1 million funding for local government designing out crime projects. In 2004 he became one of only six internationally accredited Advanced Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Practitioners in the world.

Paul has over 50 publications focusing on designing out crime, perceptions of crime, lighting, sustainable development and CCTV (see publications for further details).

Research Interests

Paul’s research focuses on investigating perceptions of crime associated with the built environment and the theory, policy and practice of designing out crime. His 3-year fellowship will investigate burglary and motor vehicle theft associated with common suburban residential street layouts. He has conducted research on perceptions of crime (including burglars’ risk assessments), lighting and CCTV. He is developing various inter-disciplinary research projects on the 24-hour city, ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and product design.

In 2000 he was awarded external research funding of ?100,000 for a 3-year study of crime on the Valley Lines (UK) railways using Quick Time Virtual Reality (QTVR). In 2004 he was awarded external funding for ?50,000 for a further one year study of lighting in and around railway stations on the Valley Lines (UK). He also worked as a CPTED consultant to the National Community Regeneration Programme (UK). He migrated to Perth in March 2004
He is an external reviewer for the International Journal of Crime Prevention and Community Safety, and for the Journal of Property Management. He also reviews papers for the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PaTReC).

In 2006 he received the “Most Outstanding Paper for 2006 Award” for the paper ‘Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): A Review and Modern Bibliography’. Journal of Property Management. Volume 23, Issue 5, pp328-356.

Memberships

  • Member of the International Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Association (ICA), the European Designing Out Crime Association (E-DOCA) and the UK’s Designing Out Crime Association (DOCA).
  • Member of the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PaTReC) and an Associate Member of the Planning Institute of Australia.

Publications

Book Chapters (Authored, Research Quality)

  • Cozens, P. 2010. Planning Policy and Designing Out Crime in Western Australia - The Issue of Permeability. In Planning Perspectives from Western Australia: A Reader in Practice and Theory, eds Alexander, I., Hedgcock, D and Grieve, S., 307-323. Fremantle: Fremantle Press.
  • Cozens, P. 2008. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. In Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis, eds Richard Wortley and Lorraine Mazerolle, 153-194. Devon, UK: Willan.
  • Hillier, D, Pascoe, T, and Cozens, P. 2007. Critically Reviewing the Theory and Practice of Secured-by-design for Residential New-build Housing in Britain.. In Burglary: International Library of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Penology - Second Series., eds Mawby, R., 345-361. Aldershot (UK): Ashgate.
  • Cozens, P. 2007. Planning, Crime and Urban Sustainability. In Sustainable Development and Planning III Volume I. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment Volume 102, eds Kungolas, A., Brebbia, C. and Beriatos, E., 187-196. Southampton (UK): WIT Press.

Refereed Articles (Scholarly Journals)

  • Cozens, P, and Christensen, W. 2011. Environmental criminology and the potential for reducing opportunities for bushfire arson. Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal 13(3): 119-133.
  • Cozens, P, and Glasson, J. 2011. Making communities safer from crime: An undervalued element in impact assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 31: 25-35.
  • Cozens, P. 2011. Urban Planning and Environmental Criminology: Towards a New Perspective for Safer Cities. Planning Practice and Research 26(4): 481-508.
  • Cozens, P, and Love, T. 2009. Manipulating Permeability as a Process for Controlling Crime: Balancing Security and Sustainability in Local Contexts. Built Environment 35(1): 346-365.
  • Cozens, P. 2008. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in Western Australia: Planning for Sustainable Urban Futures. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning 3: 272-292.
  • Cozens, P, and Hillier, D. 2008. The Shape of Things to Come’: New Urbanism, the Grid and the Cul-De-Sac. International Planning Studies 13(1): 51-73.
  • Hillier, D, Cozens, P, and Thorn, M. 2008. Designing Out Crime in Western Australia: A Case Study.. Property Management 26(5): 295-309.
  • Cozens, P. 2008. New Urbanism, Crime and the Suburbs: A Review of the Evidence. Urban Policy and Research 26(3): 1-16.
  • Cozens, P. 2007. Public Health and the Potential Benefits of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. New South Wales Public Health Bulletin 18(11/12): 232-237.
  • Hillier, D, Cozens, P, and Saville, G. 2005. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): A Review and Modern Bibliography. Property Management 23(5): 328-356.
  • Pascoe, T, Cozens, P, and Hillier, D. 2004. Critically Reviewing the Theory and Practice of Secured By Design for Residential New-build Housing in Britain. Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal 6(1): 13-29.
  • Hillier, D, Cozens, P, Whitaker, J, and Neale, R. 2004. Tackling Crime and Fear of Crime While Waiting at Britain's Railway Stations. Journal of Public Transportation 7(3): 23-41.
  • Whitaker, J, Neale, R, Hillier, D, and Cozens, P. 2004. Investigating cartographies of fear in and around Valley Lines railway stations. Public Transport International 53(5): 22-24.
  • Graham, M, Cozens, P, Hillier, D, Neale, R, and Whitaker, J. 2003. A critical review of street lighting, crime and the fear of crime in the British city. Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal 5(2): 7-24.
  • Cozens, P, Neale, R, Hillier, D, and Whitaker, J. 2003. Investigating Personal Safety at Railway stations Using 'Virtual Reality' Technology. Facilties 21(7/8): 188-193.
  • Hills, J, and Cozens, P. 2003. Designing for Use and Misuse. Journal of Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications 11(1): 12-16.
  • Adamson, D, Cozens, P, and Hillier, D. 2003. Community CPTED: A Case Study in South Wales. The Journal of the International Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Association 2(1): 2-15.
  • Cozens, P. 2002. Sustainable Urban Development and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design for the British City. Towards an Effective Urban Environmentalism for the 21st Century. Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning 19(2): 129-137.
  • Cozens, P, Hillier, D, and Prescott, G. 2002. Criminogenic Associations and British Housing Design. International Planning Studies 7(2): 119-136.
  • Neale, R, Whitaker, J, Cozens, P, and Hillier, D. 2002. Investigating Perceptions of Personal Security on the Valley Lines Rail Network in South Wales (UK). World Transport Policy and Practice 8(1): 19-29.

Fully written papers (Refereed Conference proceedings)

  • Cozens, P, and Greive, S. 2011. Investigating Crime Precipitators and the 'Environmental Backcloth' of the Night Time Economy: An Environmental Criminology Perspective from an Australian Capital City. SOAC 2011, 29/11/2011. Melbourne: Australian Cities and Regions Network.
  • Greive, S, and Cozens, P. 2009. Designing Crime Precipitators in Northbridge after dark: Urban Governance in Slumber. City Growth, Sustainability, Vitality and Vulnerability, 24/11/2009. UWA, Perth: Australian Sustainable Cities Network.
  • Cozens, P. 2009. Education in Designing out Crime - A Case Study. iDoc 09 - What's up Doc - Designing Places, Products, Systems and Processes to Reduce Crime, Terrorism and Anti-Social Behaviour, 02/12/2009. Edith Cowan University - Joondalup: Design Out Crime Research Centre.
  • Cozens, P. 2009. Environmental Criminology and Planning: A Dialogue for a New Perspective on Safer Cities. New Perspectives on Planning and Design NCKU Collage of Planning and Design, 25/05/2009. Tainan, Taiwan: Publishers: Collage of Planning and Design, National Cheng Kung University.
  • Cozens, P. 2008. Designing Out Crime in Western Australia: A Systems Approach to Policy Development. Australian and New Zealand Systems (ANZSYS) Conference, 01/02/2008. Edith Cowan University: SECAU Security Research Centre.
  • Cozens, P, and Love, T. 2008. Improving Pedestrian Access Way Planning Using Designing Out Crime. Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC) Research Forum, 02/10/2008. Edith Cowan University: Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC).
  • Love, T, and Cozens, P. 2008. Pedestrian Access Ways in Western Australia. 4th Annual PATREC Research Forum 2008, 02/10/2008. Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia: Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC).
  • Neale, R, Cozens, P, and Whitaker, J. 2004. Use of ‘VR Walkthrough Panorama’ Technology to Assess Public Perceptions of Personal Safety on Railway Stations. Clients Driving Innovation International Conference, 24/10/2004. Surfer's Paradise, Brisbane, New South Wales, Australia: The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Construction Innovation.
  • Neale, R, Cozens, P, and waters, J. 2002. A Virtual Reality Approach to Personal Safety and the Design of Built Environment Facilities. Association of Researchers in Construction Management 18th Annual Conference, 02/09/2002. University of Northumbria: Northumbria University.