How we design a space can have a significant impact on both the number of crime incidents that occur and how safe people feel in that space. Perception of safety is a significant driver of how people interact with their environment and behave in that setting. For example, how safe people feel may be the deciding factor for using one particular route over another.
The relationship between design and safety has been well researched globally and the outcomes have proved that thoughtful design can improve safety considerably.
Even when the likelihood of a person being attacked or becoming the victim of crime may be relatively small, if an area feels unsafe then people will be less inclined to use that area. As a result, the area can become unsafe, as levels of use and activity reduce.
Reducing Rewards
If someone has the intention to commit a crime, then environmental design can reduce the actual or perceived "rewards" of committing the crime by increasing the likelihood of detection and interruption.
While specific detailed features of the built environment do not cause crime, they may provide the setting for its occurrence. The details of that setting can promote or prevent antisocial activities that create unsafe environments for others.
Some crimes may occur simply because a willing offender is presented with the opportunity to carry out a crime. However, generally crime is carried out by the people who already have a criminal intent. To commit a crime, one usually chooses the conditions that offer the greatest chance of getting away with it undetected.
There is evidence that a number of specific physical design or environmental characteristics are relevant to:
- Increasing the offender's perceived and real risk of being caught
- Increasing the technical difficulty of committing a crime
- Reducing both attempted and successful crimes
- Increasing people's perception of their personal safety and security and reducing their fear of crime
Do People Find Auckland a Safe Place?
Auckland Council carries out surveys on public perceptions of safety every few years to engage with Aucklanders and find out more about how they feel about Auckland.The survey is called 'Public Perceptions of Safety from Crime in the Auckland Region' and was carried out in 2012. Residents were asked to comment on how safe they feel in different locations of in the region. The complete report is available on the Auckland Council website.
The findings of the survey revealed that people from some ethnic groups, such as Maori or Chinese, were more concerned about their safety in particular locations. People in their 20s were the group who expressed the greatest concerns for their safety, and not surprisingly, females were the most cautious and concerned about their safety in all groups.
Although the general perceptions of safety was relatively high, with 81% of people feeling safe in the Auckland region and 85% in their local neighbourhoods, places such as local bus stops or public toilets in parks were locations people had more concerns for their safety. For example, there was a drop in the public's confidence about their safety at local bus stops after dark. This shows the importance of factors such as the location of the bus stops, their surrounding activities and the level of lighting.
The findings of the survey can be broadly categorised as the following:
- General perceptions of safety from crime
- Experience of crime for different people at different locations
- Impact of crime and safety on daily life
- General perceptions of safety in locations such as neighbourhood, local shopping and town centres.