To Catch Fear In A Bottle

Research funders: Stockholm Senseable Lab, Stockholm Chamber of Cimmerce, Newsec, Digital Futures

QC 20250627

Abstract

Cities are complex, dynamic and constantly evolving systems, shaped by a plethora of factors that in turn significantly impact our individual safety. These factors are embedded in everything from the physical design of urban settings to the social interactions and activities that take place within them. Compared to other urban challenges such as crime, perceived safety and fear are more abstract and subjective phenomena that are much more difficult to define, understand and not to mention prevent. The aim of this thesis is to examine how perceived safety can be conceptualized and measured in urban environments in order to enhance the accuracy and comprehensiveness of urban safety diagnostics. The approaches of the studies explore both more traditional methods of surveys, regression models and spatial analysis, as well as more emergent methodologiesof the past few decades, such as deep learning models and mobile app data collection. The studies include analyses of perceived safety on multiple levels, from meso- to microlevel, comparisons of residents and non-residents, as well as intersectional analyses of gender, age, ethnicity, and income. The findings of the thesis highlight how various conceptualizations of perceived safety and methodologies used to measure them reveal different understandings. Local and global measures of fear have inverted relationships with marginalized men in Sweden, who, in contrast to common beliefs, express similar levels of poor neighborhood safety to women overall. Spatial and conceptual contrasts were identified between survey-based measures of neighborhood safety, objective safety measures such as crime rates, and safety scores generated by deep learning models. A survey based on a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) revealed the moderating effect of place familiarity and place stigma, where minor differences in neighborhood familiarity were found to significantly affect perceptions. Mobile app data collection was also found to be a potential way to capture highly spatio-temporally detailed data on perceived safety, while retaining the ability to capture personal narratives and emotional connections to place. The thesis concludes with a reflection of implications and practical insights of the findings for researchers, urban planners, and policymakers, encouraging strategies for more comprehensive diagnostics of safety. 

urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-364197