Authors: Ahmad Farkhondeh, Mehran
Fateminia, Zahra Hosseingholipour
Journal of Fine Arts: Visual Arts Accepted in November 2023
The syntax of spaces is one of the significant factors affecting
visitors' sense of security in urban parks. Due to the vitality
and green nature of parks, they are expected to provide more sense
of peace and security to visitors than other urban spaces;
However, Tappeh-Bashi Park in the city of Naghadeh, located in
West Azarbaijan province, Iran, is a counterexample. This park,
despite its glory days not so far past, has become a place for
addicts and criminals because of a lack of surveillance, ethnic
conflicts, and the stoning of two people there. Recently, measures
have been taken by the municipality to improve the security of the
park, such as taking out criminals, implementing some sports
facilities, and planting trees, and flowers. Although this has
reduced the rate of crime significantly, citizens still do not
desire to visit this park due to their sense of fear of possible
crimes. The root of this issue is both subjective and objective
and this study's focus is on the objective aspect. The purpose is
to find the areas inducing a sense of fear of crime in visitors in
the case study by assessing the role of the objective factors
related to the spatial syntax of the park in both physical and
visual dimensions. To do so, the qualities affecting the sense of
fear in visitors of Tappeh-Bashi Park and their extracted
indicators were evaluated by space syntax technique and through
Depthmap software. In this research, the four qualities of
accessibility, choice, controllability, and integration in the
physical dimension, and the qualities of lighting, visibility, and
attraction in the visual dimension were evaluated. First of all,
the base map of the site was updated, and the axial maps of
indicators including connectivity, mean depth, metric depth,
permeability, and mysteriousness were prepared in DepthMap
Software and valued in Geographic Information System (GIS). Next,
the obtained quality maps were weighed and overlaid to get the
final axial map. Then, the visual graph of the clustering
coefficient indicator was combined with the final map, which gave
us three areas inducing a sense of fear among visitors. Finally,
three areas were also examined in terms of visibility indicators
such as maximum radial line, compactness, and occlusivity, which
gave us a good insight to analyse the potentials of each area for
reducing sense of fear. For findings validation, the agent
analysis of the site was applied, which proved area two has the
potential for designing against the sense of fear of crime with
the aim of enhancing social interaction. The site also was
assessed according to the intensity of lighting at night showing
that area three lacks proper lighting. The results showed that the
dead-end and undefined routes in the park have reduced the
mobility and integrity of pedestrian paths. Moreover, spaces with
low levels of lighting at night, spaces that lack natural
surveillance, and mysterious and abandoned spaces in the park have
the highest potential to induce feelings of insecurity and a sense
of fear of crime.
Keywords: Fear of Crime, Sense of Security,
Space Syntax, Tappeh-Bashi Park, Urban Parks
Authors: Ali Faraji,
Ahmad Farkhondeh
8th International Conference on Mechanical, Construction Industrial &
Civil Engineering Proceeding, Istanbul, Turkey Published in August
2021
Crime increasing and its consequences is one of the obvious
manifestations of urbanization development. The inefficiency of
urban spaces such as inefficient urban furniture and disregard for
its practical and aesthetic values has been recognized as one of
the most influential factors in crime in cities. Lack of
context-based design, ignoring the needs of residents, and mere
copying of modern equipment, has emptied the furniture of today's
cities from aesthetic and functional values to inefficient
elements and visual and even environmental pollutants. This leads
to abandonment of urban spaces and non-use of equipment, and there
is no doubt that there is a high correlation between the absence
of humans as observer eyes in urban space and the increase in
crime and sabotage in these spaces. The purpose of this study is
to provide an urban furniture design framework to help urban
furniture design` to prevent crime and improve quality of life.
The method of this research is based on a descriptive aspect
rather than an exploratory one and introduces the necessary
principles, features, and considerations in the field of
anti-crime urban furniture. The data used for explanation have
been obtained from collecting, describing, and organizing
documentary and library resources in the form of subject research.
To maintain the effectiveness of urban spaces, the physical and
psychological aspects must be compatible between the qualitative
elements and the social and cultural characteristics of the
citizens. Psychologically, increasing traffic and lighting in
environments with high crime rates and designing happy
environments can prevent crime and reduce fear of crime. It is
noted that the use of urban furniture as one of the tools of
environmental design in crime prevention is considered, a design
guide in five dimensions including practical criteria about the
design of urban furniture with a crime prevention approach is
presented.
Keywords: Urban furniture design, urban space,
crime reduction, security, Industrial Design.
Authors:
Ahmad Farkhondeh, Zahra Hosseingholipour, Mehran
Fateminia