Where do women choose to walk? Female safety in public spaces

Women tend to regulate their activities and limit the use of public spaces to certain times of the day due to the perception of unsafety that acts as an integral part of their daily life. The objective of the research was to investigate objective and subjective factors related to walking from the perspective of female safety, through a case study conducted in the city of Londrina, State of Paraná. The tactics addressed were questionnaires and walking interviews to understand the socio-spatial factors that influence the choice and those that inhibit walking. The results indicate that the construction of "fear" occurs through reports from third parties and the media, while the main factor for "feeling safe" is related to the movement of people because, when there is such movement, women are seen.

safety; woman; walking; questionnaire; walking interviews

Authorship

Laís Regina Lino

Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo. Londrina, PR/Brasil. laislino.arquitetura@gmail.com Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo. Londrina, PR/Brasil. laislino.arquitetura@gmail.comBrasilBrasil Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo. Londrina, PR/Brasil. laislino.arquitetura@gmail.com

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8709-7006

Milena Kanashiro

Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo. Londrina, PR/Brasil. milena@uel.br Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo. Londrina, PR/Brasil. milena@uel.brBrasilBrasil Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo. Londrina, PR/Brasil. milena@uel.br

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8796-4237

Translation: this article was translated from Portuguese to English by Isbel Desenne, email: isabeldesenne@hotmail.com

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Figures | Tables

Figures (12)
Tables (3)

Steps/Phases (Zeisel, 2006ZEISEL, J. (2006). Inquiry by design: environment/behavior/neuroscience in architecture, interiors, landscape, and planning. EUA., W.W. Norton.)	Questionnaire questions
Dada and knowledge	1.1 Public Place 1.2 Age 1.3 Education 1.4 Walking Habits 1.5 Which neighborhood in Londrina would you classify as safe? Why? 1.6 Which neighborhood in Londrina would you classify as unsafe? Why?
Places, routes and perception relationship	2.1 Imagine that you are at origin A (Escola Moacyr Teixeira), during the day, and a new resident in the neighborhood asks for your directions to go, on foot, to destination B (Colégio Marista). Which route would you recommend? If you don’t know the name of the streets, identify references. (Route Map) 2.2 Would you recommend this route for the residente to take at night? Why? 2.3 What places should residentes avoid in their neighborhood? Why?
Opinion regarding neighborhood safety	3.1 How do you rate the safety of your neighborhood? (A) Not at all safe (B) Somewhat safe (C) Safe (D) Very Safe

Segment	Justifications
	Segment “1” is made up of Luiz Brugin Street and Saul Elkind Avenue and this route taken by only one interviewee. Although the street is further away from the routes taken, the choice is due to the existing signage for pedestrians to cross safely.
	Segment “2” is represented by Arara-Azul Street, which was chosen due to the upkeep of the space: the cleanliness of the street indicates that residents take care of their sidewalks. In addition, there are no obstructions along the street and walking is easy. Space upkeep is studied by Wilson and Kelling (1982)WILSON, J. Q.; KELLING, G. L. (1982). Broken windows: the police and neighborhood safety. The Atlantic. EUA, v. 249, n. 3, pp. 29-38. Disponível em: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/broken-windows/304465/. Acesso em: 18 maio 2023. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc... in which they point out that a lack of care increases the perception of insecurity, and when there is maintenance, it subsequently promotes the perception of safety. Another consideration for choosing the segment was the existence of shops, schools and supermarkets. According to the interviewee: “the supermarket parking lot is at the end of the street and if something happens, I can call someone to help me”. It was noticed that the existence of non-residential uses is related to the frequency of people walking about. Finally, traffic safety was mentioned once again when the interviewee saw the street as quiet and easy for safe crossing.
	Segment “3” is made up of Luiz Brugin Street and Irene Carrara Nunes Street. The choice for this section was related to physical and social structures. The segment is made up of businesses such as a pizzeria and the Maria Cecília Basic Health Unit (UBS) and the very presence of residents enables the circulation of people which the interviewees explained as, “even though it is a more residential street, I always see people in their garages or sweeping the sidewalks.” Another characteristic for choosing the street was the spatial characteristics, such as the width of the road, seen as more inviting in relation to the others.
	Segment “4” is defined only by a section of Saul Elkind Avenue and taken by all interviewees who reported such choice because of: “the number of people walking around due to the existence of several businesses”. However, problems with the sidewalks bothered those interviewed and subsequently caused some to walk along the bike path located in the central median of the avenue. One of the problems was the width of the sidewalks which are narrow, full of people, bus stops, signs, lamp posts, etc., and according to one interviewee, it’s easy to be a target for muggers. The frequency of people circulating is beneficial because they are seen, however in some cases, it can contribute to the negative perception of being a victim. Finally, because the cycle path has very few trees, one of the interviewees reported that, on cloudy days, she prefers to walk along the cycle path, as there are shops on the avenue that are drug hotspots.
	Segment “5” is made up of Antônio Lopes Sevilha Street, and its main characteristic for choosing it was the “existence of shops close to the sidewalk, which are open until 7 pm”. According to Jacobs (1958)JACOBS, J. (1958). Morte e vida de grandes cidades. EUA, Random House., establishments are excellent safety guards, they take care of the sidewalks and promote public order because they are concerned about the safety of their customers. Another factor in choosing this segment of road, according to one interviewee, is “I always see residents in their homes or sweeping the sidewalks, talking, buses drive by and the flow of cars is greater”. The interviewee added that, if there are no people walking around or residents nearby, it is not a good place to walk because “no one would help you if you needed to ask for help”. Another characteristic cited was the perception of familiarity. One woman responded that “she feels that the environment is more familiar and welcoming when the streets are busy”. Ferraro (1995)FERRARO, K. F. (1995). Fear of crime: interpreting victimization risk. EUA, Suny Press. explains that the familiarity of the route is supported by activities that are symbolically significant for individuals and promote sociability.
	Segment “6” is determined by Izaura Amaral Alves Street and chosen by the residents because it is “a route closer to the areas with businesses”, as well as, “being the route with greater movement of people”. The women interviewed chose the street because it is located close to commercial streets, as well as its proximity to the route of their destination. This question shows that the route is also taken by choosing streets closer to their destination, in other words, how quickly they can reach it.
	Segment “7” is defined by Antônio Lopes Sevilha Street and Maria Sinopoli Francovig Street, which were chosen for having a number of residences because they promote the “eyes on the street”, by Jane Jacobs (1958)JACOBS, J. (1958). Morte e vida de grandes cidades. EUA, Random House.. The segment was chosen because residents can see from their homes if something happens.
	The last segment “8” is classified by Saul Elkind Avenue and Rudolf Keilhold Street. The interviewed woman continued her commute along the avenue because “I ended up creating a friendship with a shopkeeper on the corner of Rudolf Keilhold Street and I feel safe when going that way”. The theory of trust is mentioned again, and characterized by Jacobs (1958)JACOBS, J. (1958). Morte e vida de grandes cidades. EUA, Random House. as promoting public order through the bonds created between shopkeeper and customer. Another characteristic of the segment is the implementation of the Olympia Tormenta School, which promotes greater movement of people on the street.

	Questionários e Maps-Global	Entrevistas caminhadas
A
B	● Respondents indicated sections with low segment scores.	● All the women interviewed walked along the avenue due to the movement of people. However, some prefer to walk along the cycle path because the sidewalks are too narrow, which can make them a target for muggers, and because it has points where drugs are sold .
C	● Mapping by sections with low intersection scores.	● “There are traffic lights here, and I know that at some point I will be able to cross safely”; ● Pedestrian crossings on corners were mentioned as making crossing difficult because “cars don’t respect the traffic signs”.
D	Most mentioned places that women should avoid in the neighborhood ● Greenspace next to the Colégio Lauro Gomes (25%); ● Cabrinha Lake (14%).	Quote from the interviewee when not taking the route through a certain street: ● olf Keilhold Street has a large empty plot of land with trees and bushes
E	Around 61% of respondents indicated the route taken at night: ● Movement of people; ● Shops; ● Wear discreet clothing; ● Lighting; ● Never been robbed; ● Fastest route; ● Policed streets; ● Residents are always on the streets.	Women who indicated the route for the resident to take at night: As Women should avoid exclusively commercial streets that are open until 6 pm because they must be seen; ● The streets tend to be busy at night and the more people on the streets, the safer it will be;You should try to walk through streets full of people, however, you should avoid stores that are drug hotspots
F	Around 33% of respondents did not indicate the route to the resident to take at night: ● Fear of crimes; ● Precarious lighting; ● Presence of men at night; ● Movement of people is low; ● Has already been mugged.	Interviewees who did not indicate the route for the resident to take at night: ● I don’t feel safe walking at night because there are deserted roads. It is beneficial to have witnesses if a crime occurs; ● I never see police patrolling during the day, much less at night. At night, the movement of people walking is low.