Adolescents’ Perceived Safety and Security in Public Space—A Swedish Focus Group Study with a Gender Perspective

Abstract

Outdoor areas are important for adolescents, since they often lack access to other spaces. Focus group discussions were conducted with 15-16 year old girls and boys in Stockholm and Uppsala Counties, Sweden, to explore their ideas regarding threats they face when moving in public space, including traffic. The threats which emerged as most prominent were lone rapists-mainly threatening girls-or gangs of adolescent boys-threatening boys with violence and girls mainly with (sexual) harassment. Traffic, though sometimes admitted to be a major safety risk, was perceived as more manageable. Boys and girls suggest coping with social risks by behaving opposite to the gendered idea of a 'victim'-boys by being non-aggressive, girls by acting confidently. Boys portray themselves as level-headed, skilled and making rational risk assessments. Girls sometimes described themselves as behaving in an unsafe way in traffic, but not in relation to social/sexual threats.

La vitalidad como alternativa a la seguridad de los espacios públicos urbanos: el caso Palmira-Colombia

“…De tal manera que es la conformación de las vías la que según la teoría da forma al espacio (Shu, 2000;Armitage, 2006), y se dividen en culs-de-sacs sinuosos o rectos y vías que conectan (Johnson & Bowers, 2010); (ii) la densidad de personas por área, es la cantidad de personas presentes en el lugar que hacen uso aceptable del espacio (Whyte, 1980) y realizan actividades a voluntad (Gehl, 2011); (iii) la limpieza es la ausencia de incivilidades físicas o qué tan limpio y cuidado se encuentra el espacio (Johansson, Laflamme, & Eliasson, 2012); (iv) el uso se divide en residencial, comercial, mixto, es decir, comercio en vivienda y comercio ambulante (Mehta, 2007); (v) la visibilidad (Loukaitou-Sideris, 2006), se refiere no solo a qué tan iluminado esté el espacio, sino a la activación de los bordes (aceras o andenes) fuera de horarios laborales; y (vi) la presencia / ausencia de barreras físicas como la cantidad de elementos del modelo fortificado presentes en el lugar (Col.lectiu Punt 6, 2011). Por último, el género se midió como la cantidad de mujeres en el espacio que realizan actividades a voluntad.…”

Transforming Spaces: A Framework for the Identification and Analysis of Adolescents’ No-Go Areas in Vienna

“…So far, qualitative and quantitative methods are used to investigate perceptions and appropriations of public spaces of adolescents (ABBOTT-CHAPMAN & ROBERTSON 2009, DUZENLI 2010, FITZGERALD et al 1995, JOHANSSON et al 2012, MÄKINEN & TYRVÄINEN 2008. It is of current interest to identify the potential of social media regarding data collection and information gathering, as it could have several advantages.…”

“…Results of various international studies point out, that particularly public space can have strong negative connotations caused by various factors. Bullying and gangs of other adolescents are the most cited aspects in these studies, next to fear of sexual harassment or abuse, and perceived insecurities due to descended neighbourhoods, homeless or drunk/drug addicts (JOHANSSON et al 2012, MADGE 1997, PERCY-SMITH & MATTHEWS 2001, WOOLLEY et al 1999. Negative connotations also often exist for districts with a high percentage of immigrant residents (HÖGLHAMMER 2013).…”

“…Avoidance of places is the most common strategy for adolescents to react on perceived fears and insecurities in public spaces (BROWNLOW 2005, JOHANSSON et al 2012, MATTHEWS et al 1998, PERCY-SMITH & MATTHEWS 2001, TRAVLOU 2003. BROWNLOW (2005) figured out that fears are more often caused on assumptions of potential risks than on lived experiences.…”

“…The degree of feeling or familiarity attached to a place has a strong impact on the individual perception of insecurities. Especially parental fears influence young people's perceived safety for a specific site (BROWNLOW 2005, HÖGLHAMMER 2013, JOHANSSON et al 2012. Manifestations of fears are often related to gender, as bullying, violence or gang conflicts are particularly reported by men, while sexual harassment or abuse are mainly mentioned by women (BROWNLOW 2005, JOHANSSON et al 2012).…”