Crime and fear in public places

Abstract

Crime and Fear in Public Places consists of an important tool to advance the international urban safety agenda as it provides readers with a view on the debate over safety and public places, taking a multi-disciplinary approach that takes into consideration several fields of knowledge. The cutting-edge research contained in this book incorporates different perspectives on the phenomenon of crime and fear in public places and fosters the co-production of safety, which is a basic principle contained in the Guidelines, thus contributing towards more cohesive societies and safer cities for all.Juma Assiago, Head, Safer Cities Programme, UN-HABITAT With expertise from a diverse range of disciplines, this compilation achieves a thorough investigation of how individual mobility, social and built landscapes, and policies interact and relate to crime and fear in public places. Insightful and creative, with implications to make communities safer and improve public health.

Changing environments to promote safety in libraries

“…The library was inspected on several occasions by the researchers from July 6, 2021 to May 20, 2022. Using the conceptual model as a reference (Ceccato et al, 2023), a fieldwork protocol was applied to inspect the library (Ceccato et al, 2022). Natural surveillance was assessed based on visitors' ability to see what happens in a particular area of the library (sightlines), which was highly affected by the design of the setting, and by environmental and temporal contexts.…”

“…Visitors use these facilities for different reasons (reading, searching information, work, social interaction in cafes, or social areas) which demands particular safety plans and considerations. Crime and incidents of public disorder in the library are dependent on multiscale environmental conditions that are at work at various settings in the building and its immediate surroundings, some of them varying over time Ceccato et al (2023). Previous research suggests that libraries are more vulnerable to safety issues in comparison with other public facilities, such as museums: 'whereas museums, archives and other cultural buildings usually have guards on site, alert to various dangers, libraries all too often do not, which invites trouble' (Shuman, 2002: 70).…”