Factors important to street users’ perceived safety on a main street

• Main Author: Jansson, Carolin
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: KTH, Urbana och regionala studier 2019
• Subjects: main street; perceived safety; active frontage; public space; Other Social Sciences; Annan samhällsvetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-260049

An important aspect of city life is people’s experience. Perceived safety is one important aspect of that experience. In a large perspective, perceived safety concerns discussions on just public space. In a small perspective, it has direct implications for people’s mobility and ultimately their quality of life. Current literature emphasises the importance of main street as an urban public space. Given that perceived safety matters to urban life in large, and people’s everyday experience in particular, and that the main street has great potential as a public space, it is important to understand perceived safety on main street. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge on what is important for street users’ perceived safety on main streets, and how the frontage on main streets can contribute to perceived safety. Through a questionnaire, interviews and place observations carried out on Odengatan, Stockholm, this study finds that among nine perceived safety aspects, “mix of people”, followed by (informal) “social control” and “urban form”, were the aspects that would make the highest number of street users on Odengatan feel safe. It also finds that active frontage was directly connected to the street users’ experience on Odengatan; the three aspects were connected to several factors of active frontage. In addition, it finds that those active frontage factors are able to contribute positively to perceived safety in the case of Odengatan.