In Brazil, informal settlements house over 11 million dwellers in areas characterized by lower socio-economic conditions, insecure tenure and inadequate basic services. Despite these constrains, many informal dwellers engage in a continuous process to incrementally improve their housing units and community services. In this study, we develop a conceptual model that links studies in crime prevention through environmental design and place attachment to argue that incremental housing improvements in infrastructure can deter criminal activity. We estimate an empirical model using data from a survey of 45,000 households located in informal settlements for a Brazilian city. We conclude by pointing out how aesthetic finishes to external housing materials have a most prominent effect in deterring criminal activities than State provided infrastructure. The discussion highlights how crime is systemically concentrated in informal settlements, and that urbanization interventions must consider localized improvements to individual households in conjunction with the provision of basic services.

在巴西，非正式定居点在社会经济条件较低，使用权不安全和基本服务不足的地区安置了1100万居民。尽管存在这些限制，但许多非正​​式居民仍在不断地改善自己的住房和社区服务。在这项研究中，我们开发了一个概念模型，该模型将通过环境设计对犯罪预防的研究联系在一起，并放置附件，以辩称基础设施中住房的不断改善可以阻止犯罪活动。我们使用来自对巴西城市非正式居住区中的45,000个家庭的调查数据来估计经验模型。最后，我们指出，与国家提供的基础设施相比，对外部房屋材料进行美学装饰对阻止犯罪活动的影响最大。