Fear, urban design and neighbourhood segregation in Stockholm, Sweden.
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of Geog, Politics and Sociology
Abstract
This PhD seeks to investigate the social geographies of
women's safety, specifically the relationships between fear,
urban design and neighbourhood segregation in Stockholm,
Sweden. The intersecting causes of female fear of crime
were identified as a significant gap in the literature by Pain
(2001), and this remains the case despite the abundance of
research on safety and perceived safety. It is particularly
under-studied in Stockholm owing to the widespread
assumption that the city is safe. However, my
undergraduate research and peer-reviewed publication with
Professor Ceccato demonstrate that factors underpinning
women's low fear of crime in Stockholm are problematic for
others, such as spatial and social segregation. Therefore,
informed by an intersectional framework, this research will
explore how gender, race, class and place of residence fold
into perceptions and likelihood of victimisation in different
built (CPTED and non-CPTED) and social environments.
Semi-structured interviews and focus groups will be
conducted with female citizens as well as key stakeholders.
These will be used alongside a pre-existing, high-quality
quantitative dataset collected by Stockholm police, to
investigate, first, how spatial patterns of perceived safety
vary across Stockholm, and second, what interconnected
processes within neighbourhoods influence perceived
safety. The research will provide important empirical and
conceptual advances on female fear of crime and its
relationship with CPTED and urban segregation. With 'Safer
Sweden Foundation' as collaborative partner, this work will
have impacts on policy and practice via stakeholder and
policy workshops and a user-oriented report, as well as
leading to high-quality academic outputs.
women's safety, specifically the relationships between fear,
urban design and neighbourhood segregation in Stockholm,
Sweden. The intersecting causes of female fear of crime
were identified as a significant gap in the literature by Pain
(2001), and this remains the case despite the abundance of
research on safety and perceived safety. It is particularly
under-studied in Stockholm owing to the widespread
assumption that the city is safe. However, my
undergraduate research and peer-reviewed publication with
Professor Ceccato demonstrate that factors underpinning
women's low fear of crime in Stockholm are problematic for
others, such as spatial and social segregation. Therefore,
informed by an intersectional framework, this research will
explore how gender, race, class and place of residence fold
into perceptions and likelihood of victimisation in different
built (CPTED and non-CPTED) and social environments.
Semi-structured interviews and focus groups will be
conducted with female citizens as well as key stakeholders.
These will be used alongside a pre-existing, high-quality
quantitative dataset collected by Stockholm police, to
investigate, first, how spatial patterns of perceived safety
vary across Stockholm, and second, what interconnected
processes within neighbourhoods influence perceived
safety. The research will provide important empirical and
conceptual advances on female fear of crime and its
relationship with CPTED and urban segregation. With 'Safer
Sweden Foundation' as collaborative partner, this work will
have impacts on policy and practice via stakeholder and
policy workshops and a user-oriented report, as well as
leading to high-quality academic outputs.