Crime and Fear in Public Places

The book aims to illustrate the complexity of patterns of crime and fear in public places with examples of studies on these topics contextualized in different cities and countries around the world. It brings together a collection of original research that addresses the fear of crime and safety with a focus on public places such as parks, green spaces and public transit, from scholars from around the world. These original contributions highlight and demonstrate fear of crime and safety concerns intersecting with spatial and geographic locations.

This volume adds to the growing literature on underscoring the significance of fear of crime as an integral part of social and geographic concerns centred on environmental planning and urban affairs. No city environment reflects the meaning of urban life better than a public place. A public place, whatever its nature - a park, a mall, a train platform or a street corner - is where people pass by, meet each other and at times become a victim of crime. With this book, we submit that crime and safety in public places are not issues that can be easily dealt within the boundaries of a single discipline. The book aims to illustrate the complexity of patterns of crime and fear in public places with examples of studies on these topics contextualized in different cities and countries around the world.

This is achieved by tackling five cross-cutting themes: the nature of the city’s environment as a backdrop for crime and fear; the dynamics of individuals’ daily routines and their transit safety; the safety perceptions experienced by those who are most in fear in public places; the metrics of crime and fear; and, finally, examples of current practices in promoting safety. All these original chapters contribute to our quest for safer, more inclusive, resilient, equitable and sustainable cities and human settlements aligned to the Global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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