Integrating geographical information into urban safety research and planning

Abstract

The 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.