1,721,295 research outputs found
Practical Challenges and New Research Frontiers for Safety and Security in Transit Environments
Full text linkThis chapter brings together this edited volume, and highlights and summarizes the main findings presented in the book, based on each of the preceding five sections. It examines the conceptual framework, and the main findings that arise from each section. These include safety and security at the transit node, the journey, links to the surrounding settings and the perspective of the user. It provides an overview of why safety and security is challenging and complex, and discusses the utility of the conceptual framework in tackling this. It then suggests new research frontiers for safety in transit environments, before concluding with some recommendations for future policy
Theoretical Perspectives of Safety and Security in Transit Environments
Full text linkThis chapter discusses the extant theories used to explain safety and security in transit environments, which are set out within the conceptual framework identified in the previous chapter. A number of theoretical perspectives have been developed to explain the prevalence of crime, disorder and associated fear in society. None of these are without criticism, and none have been developed explicitly for the purpose of explaining safety and security on public transport systems. This section examines current security and criminological theories, and ideas and perspectives from other fields and disciplines, to ascertain their utility for explaining safety and security specifically in the context of public transportation. The aim is to translate these theories into an integrated and theory-led conceptual framework within which safety and security on public transport systems can readily be examined
Aim, Scope, Conceptual Framework and Definitions
Full text linkMobility is a basic requirement of modern society. Distance separates individuals’ homes from places where they work, shop, do business, undertake leisure and recreational activities, and socially interact. Public transit plays a key role in reducing social exclusion by offering access to these fundamental life activities. For example, in Sweden and in Great Britain, one-quarter of households do not own a car (SIKA, 2008; DfT, 2012). Moreover, access to a car is not equally distributed amongst the population, and varies by age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Particular groups are more reliant on public transportation than others (Kunieda and Gauthier, 2007; Raphael et al. 2006). Furthermore, there are obvious environmental benefits in promoting public transport as a means of sustainable travel (Steg and Gifford, 2005). Since public transportation is a cornerstone of sustainable development, passengers deserve convenient and reliable transportation systems. However, getting people to use public transportation systems is not just a matter of making them efficient and cost effective. Passengers need to feel safe not just at stops and stations but also during their entire journey. Transportation systems encompass more than buses, trains and infrastructure. They constitute actual transit environments in which individuals spend time on a daily basis and are, therefore, important settings in everyday life. Indeed, one in five Europeans spend on average more than two hours a day commuting in these transit environments (Stepstone, 2012)
Tools in the Spatial Analysis of Offenses : Evidence from Scandinavian Cities
No full textThis chapter examines the potential of GIS in combination with spatial statisticsin an exploratory analysis of urban geography of offenses in two Scandinavian cities.The term exploratory analysis implies here the use of techniques for detection ofpatterns in data (clusters) as well as statistical modeling. Techniques such as Kmeansportioning and Kulldorff’s scan test are used to provide a simplified representationof where significant statistical concentrations of offenses occur across thecity, while regression models are applied to explain such clusters. Three clustertechniques are applied to data on pickpocketing in Copenhagen, the capital ofDenmark. This is followed by an attempt to explain patterns of vandalism usingdemographic, socioeconomic, and land use covariates in Malmö, the third largestSwedish city. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the strengths and limitationsof these techniques for local planning.QC 20210316</p
Crime in Sao Paulo’s metro system: sexual crimes against women
No full textThe article investigates personal safety conditions in the Sa˜o Paulo metro,the largest rapid transit system in Brazil. The study looks at all types of crimes, butdevotes special attention to the nature and spatio-temporal dynamics of sexualcrimes against women while in transit. The methodology combines GeographicalInformation System and crime records with data collected using Google Street Viewand other secondary data into a set of regression models. Findings show that sexualviolence is concentrated at the busiest central stations; it often takes place during themorning and afternoon rush hours, and at stations that also attract all sorts ofviolence and events of public disorder. The study finalises with an analysis of themetro’s current prevention practices targeting women’s sexual victimisation.QC 20210315Transit safet
Eyes and Apps on the Streets : From Surveillance to Sousveillance Using Smartphones
No full textThis article explores the concept of surveillance by assessing the nature of data gathered by users of a smartphone-based tool (app) developed in Sweden to assist citizens in reporting incidents in public spaces. This article first illustrates spatial and temporal patterns of records gathered over 9 months in Stockholm County using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to exemplify the process of sousveillance via app. Then, the experiences of user group members, collected using an app-based survey, are analyzed. Findings show that the incident reporting app is more often used to report an incident and less often to prevent it. Preexistent social networks in neighborhoods are fundamental for widespread adoption of the app, often used as a tool in Neighborhood Watch schemes in high-crime areas. Although the potentialities of using app data are open, these results call for more in-depth evaluations of smartphone data for safety interventions.QC 20190503</p
Homicide in Sao Paulo, Brazil : Assessing spatial-temporal and weather variations
No full textAlthough Sao Paulo is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, very little is known about the variations of levels of crime in this Brazilian city over time. This article begins by investigating whether or not homicides are seasonal in Sao Paulo. Then, hypotheses based on the principles of routine activities theory are tested to evaluate the influence of weather and temporal variations on violent behaviour expressed as cases of homicides. Finally, the geography of space-time clusters of high homicide areas are assessed using Geographical Information System (GIS) and Kulldorff's scan test. The findings suggest that central and peripheral deprived areas show the highest number of killings over the year. Moreover, homicides take place when most people have time off: particularly during vacations (hot months of the year), evenings and weekends. Overall, the results show that temporal variables are far more powerful for explaining levels of homicide than weather covariates for the Brazilian case-a finding that lends weight to the suggested hypotheses derived from routine activity theory.QC 20100525</p
Fieldwork protocol as a safety inventory tool in public places
No full textThis study reports on experiences using fieldwork protocols (FPs) in guiding the inventory of safety conditions in public places. Relying on theories of environmental criminology, situational crime prevention, and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), FPs are used to collect data on-site for three different types of public places: subway stations, shopping centers and parks. The fieldwork data are compared with other data sources and mapped using geographical information system (GIS) technology or building information modeling (BIM). Based on criteria of validity, reliability, and generalizability of evidence collected on-site, the study shows that FPs are better suited for environments that follow some uniform structure (subway stations) than other types of public places (urban parks). The article concludes with lessons for using FPs in guiding data collection for safety inventories and recommendations for future research.QC 20190624</p
Integrating geographical information into urban safety research and planning
No full textThe objective of this paper is to discuss the use of geographical information and spatial analytical methodologies in urban safety research and planning. Based on previous empirical examples, the paper investigates the advances and challenges of studying crime and perceived safety using geographical information and spatial analytical methodologies. Studies of crime and perceived fear at the micro-level in the urban landscape are also reviewed, followed by a discussion of ecological studies, which often search for associations between crime and socio-economic characteristics of small areas. The use of geographical information and visualisation techniques has been incorporated into research and planning in public participation schemes and, more recently, into new methodologies aiming at predicting human movement patterns using real-time data. The paper reviews some of the current challenges for spatial urban safety research and concludes with prospects on the value of this form of analysis in the near future.QC 20131203</p
Patterns of Traffic Accidents Among Elderly Pedestrians in Sweden
No full textThe objective of this study is to characterize the nature and space-time patterns of traffic accidents involving elderly pedestrians in Sweden, in order to suggest preventive measures. The analysis is based on elderly pedestrian accidents from 2010 to 2014 using an age adjusted standardized elderly accidents ratios (ASEAR), Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and spatial statistics techniques. Findings show that the geography of elderly traffic accidents is far from being homogenous across the country: although most accidents happen in urban municipalities, 30 per cent of municipalities classified as accessible rural exhibit relatively high-standardized accidents ratios. They happen often in daylight hours, on weekdays and in the coldest months of the year. Most of the cases are single accidents (e.g. self-inflicted fall); they happen in street segments/intersections and pedestrian/bicycle path, some affected by environment conditions such as icy or uneven surfaces. Findings of the study call for preventive actions that are sensitive to the nature of these accidents in different temporal and spatial contexts.QC 20180903</p
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