The Spatial Interface of Informal Settlements to Women’s Safety: A Human-Scale Measurement for the Largest Urban Village in Changsha, Hunan Province, China

Abstract

Building sustainable communities is always related to the occupants’ physical and psychological safety, environmental security and human settlements inclusivity, etc. The interfaces of Chinese urban villages have shown features that are irregular and chaotic, which led to potential safety hazards for women. This study revealed the blind spot of how environmental interfaces affect women’s safety and proposed interface micro-renewal strategies that would have sustainable positive impacts on the safety of vulnerable populations in the future. Taking the largest urban village in Changsha as a case study, a total of 764 samples were collected from human-scale surveys and interviews; t-tests and various regression models were adopted to explore the correlation of nine interface variables on their safety perception. Multiple equations were constructed through ANOVA analysis and the machine learning model (ROC). The results show that interfaces have a strong association with women’s perceived safety compared to men, especially women aged 41–55 who were not engaged and had manual work at night. The safety ranking of variables follows the penetrability > proximity > scale, but it shows differences in terms of work type and age. This study would provide the necessary research to complement a sustainable urban transition and gender equality in the informal settlements of the Global South.