“In the evening, I don’t walk in the park” : The interplay between street lighting and greenery in perceived safety
Rahm, Johan LU
; Sternudd, Catharina
LU
and Johansson, Maria
LU
(2021)
In Urban Design International
26(1).
p.42-52
- Abstract
Walking as a means of transportation is a key feature in sustainable urban design, but few studies have examined the influence of micro-level environmental features, such as vegetation and street lighting, on perceived safety and people’s choice to walk. This study applied a non-explicit approach to examine the relationship between greenery, street lighting, perceived safety, and walking in an urban context. Participants from three neighbourhoods in Malmö, Sweden, took part in focus group discussions concerning neighbourhood qualities related to walking. A qualitative analysis revealed four inter-related themes relevant for perceived safety after dark: avoidance, entrapment, presence of others, and prospect (visual overview of the... (More)
Walking as a means of transportation is a key feature in sustainable urban design, but few studies have examined the influence of micro-level environmental features, such as vegetation and street lighting, on perceived safety and people’s choice to walk. This study applied a non-explicit approach to examine the relationship between greenery, street lighting, perceived safety, and walking in an urban context. Participants from three neighbourhoods in Malmö, Sweden, took part in focus group discussions concerning neighbourhood qualities related to walking. A qualitative analysis revealed four inter-related themes relevant for perceived safety after dark: avoidance, entrapment, presence of others, and prospect (visual overview of the nearby surroundings). The quality of urban greenery and street lighting impacted people’s route choices after dark, and some participants felt compelled to make detours. Entrapment, partly due to unkempt greenery in combination with darkness, contributed to avoidance, whereas the presence of other people had the opposite effect. The results indicate that urban greenery and street lighting must be considered together, since their interaction influences perceived safety and impacts the walkability of the neighbourhood.
(Less)
- author
- Rahm, Johan
LU
; Sternudd, Catharina
LU
and Johansson, Maria
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Focus group study, Mobility, Pedestrian, Street lighting, Vegetation, Walking
- in
- Urban Design International
- volume
- 26
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 42 - 52
- publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85085691982
- ISSN
- 1357-5317
- DOI
- 10.1057/s41289-020-00134-6
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3e4bfab7-634b-42d1-9d2a-de002df4a8d3
- date added to LUP
- 2020-06-09 08:28:17
- date last changed
- 2024-01-02 10:11:00
@article{3e4bfab7-634b-42d1-9d2a-de002df4a8d3,
abstract = {{<p>Walking as a means of transportation is a key feature in sustainable urban design, but few studies have examined the influence of micro-level environmental features, such as vegetation and street lighting, on perceived safety and people’s choice to walk. This study applied a non-explicit approach to examine the relationship between greenery, street lighting, perceived safety, and walking in an urban context. Participants from three neighbourhoods in Malmö, Sweden, took part in focus group discussions concerning neighbourhood qualities related to walking. A qualitative analysis revealed four inter-related themes relevant for perceived safety after dark: avoidance, entrapment, presence of others, and prospect (visual overview of the nearby surroundings). The quality of urban greenery and street lighting impacted people’s route choices after dark, and some participants felt compelled to make detours. Entrapment, partly due to unkempt greenery in combination with darkness, contributed to avoidance, whereas the presence of other people had the opposite effect. The results indicate that urban greenery and street lighting must be considered together, since their interaction influences perceived safety and impacts the walkability of the neighbourhood.</p>}},
author = {{Rahm, Johan and Sternudd, Catharina and Johansson, Maria}},
issn = {{1357-5317}},
keywords = {{Focus group study; Mobility; Pedestrian; Street lighting; Vegetation; Walking}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{42--52}},
publisher = {{Palgrave Macmillan}},
series = {{Urban Design International}},
title = {{“In the evening, I don’t walk in the park” : The interplay between street lighting and greenery in perceived safety}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/s41289-020-00134-6}},
doi = {{10.1057/s41289-020-00134-6}},
volume = {{26}},
year = {{2021}},
}