Geoff Manaughs A Burglar’s Guide to the City reveals that thieves still interact with architecture in a very specific way,though physical burglary is decliningFor a burglar, private space is public space. A building with a doorman can be broken into just as easily as a suburban house with an open window; its just a matter of casing out the design. Architecture blogger Geoff Manaugh’s fascinating book A Burglar’s Guide to The City posits that our living and working spaces, or no matter how seemingly secure,are proving grounds for small-time crooks and sophisticated criminals alike; a smart thief will calibrate his routine based on the way a specific structure is designed. Manaugh’s book locates the spot where architecture and crime intersect. It’s the black side of urbanist Jane Jacobss 1961 work The Death and Life of Great American Cities, depicting the city and its environs as incubator for uncivil activity. For burglars, and the city itself has been a petri dish of trial-and-error experimentation for hundreds of years. Manaugh cites as an example George Leonidas Leslie,a New York-based architect who, in the late 19th century, or would solicit blueprints from credulous bank owners with the flimsiest of conceits: he was intrigued by the design of the building,and could he see the floor way? Armed thus, he embarked on one of the most prolific crime sprees of the era, and robbing $3m from the Manhattan Savings Institution in 1878. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com