Perceived Safety from Crime in the Urban Environment

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Perceived Safety from Crime in the Urban
Environment

• Laura J. Loewen, Gary D. Steel,
• Peter Suedfeld
• Journal of Environmental Psychology

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Presented By

• Andriana Rados
• Jaclyn Dodson
• Philip Moytka
• Melissa Matarazzo

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Why Was The Study Performed?

• To test various aspects of Appletons
  Prospect-Refuge Theory
• To rate how safe observers would feel from crime
  in specific urban environments

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On The Basis Of Whether The Environments Offered

• Visibility (Light)
• Prospect (Open Spaces)
• Unambiguous Refuge
• (a place where a criminal would not see the
• intended victim.)

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Hypothesis

• Visibility, Prospect, and Unambiguous Refuge most
  important indicators of safety.
• Prospect and Refuge would both depend on the
  availability of light.
• Both Prospect and Refuge safer than with only one
  or neither.
• In general men will rate places safer.

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STUDY ONE

• Spontaneous judgments as to what features of the
  environment make it seem safe or dangerous in
  relation to crime.

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Subjects

• 20 Male
• 35 Female
• All from an
• Undergraduate
• Psychology class

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Procedure

• Subjects approached in their classroom.
• Told about the research.
• No obligation, would be anonymous.

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• They were asked to list features of the outdoor
  environment that they believed could make it safe
  from personal crime.

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Results

• Light 42-55
• Open Space 30
• Access to refuge 24
• Community and Arms Control 17

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STUDY TWO

• Looked at the three environmental features
  identified in Study One.
• The design tested the extent to which members of
  each sex perceive safety in environments.

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Subjects

• Undergraduate Students
• 45 Men
• 55 Women

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Procedure

• The subjects assembled and given information.
• Told they would be looking at slides.
• Instructed how to rate them.
• Subjects rated sixteen slides.
• Debriefed regarding the experiment.

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Results

• Scenes including the three features were seen as
  safer than those without.
• Variation in light had more pronounced effects.
• Men rated scenes safer than did women.

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Conclusion

• The Environment does play a role in perceived
  safety.
• Study One Light, Open Space and Refuge are most
  important.
• Study Two All three features together are
  safest, then Light and Open Space, Light and
  Access and finally Light alone.

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• The sex of the observer had an important impact.
• Real Refuge and Open Space had a positive effect.

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Public and Personal Spaces

• Many public spaces are built with economy and
  convenience in mind it is beneficial, in
  addition, to consider the impact of physical
  characteristics on perceived safety.
• Examples Housing complexes and College campuses.

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THANK YOU!