LANDSCAPING & EXTERNAL WORKS 73
‘social presence’ from reduced use of spaces by people when it’s dark was also raised as a reason for safety concern. The research also uncovered that people feel most at risk on a night out (31%), with waiting for public transport (22%), exercising outdoors (16%), walking the dog (12%) and commuting (10%) also creating feelings of a lack of safety.
The results also showed that people commonly change their behaviour to improve their perceived levels of safety when out in public. The most frequent modification was walking a longer route that is busier and/or better lit (64%), followed by crossing the street to avoid others (58%). Further changes included only wearing one earphone or listening at a lower volume (32%) and carrying a personal alarm (11%).
Designing for the dark To support the industry in creating safer spaces from day through to night, and to provoke fresh thinking and debate on how to approach designing for the dark, seven best practice design ‘pillars’ have been outlined within the white paper. The pillars – eyes on the street, vision and wayfinding, acoustics, accessibility, familiarity, technology and maintenance – should be considered during feasibility and concept stages of any public realm design as they can be seamlessly integrated, and even enhance other key principles – such as biodiversity and accessibility – with compelling results. For example, designing wayfinding and acoustics for dark hours can often be overlooked when new schemes are in the planning phase. However, simple design choices such as the height of a hedge or the use of materials that better absorb echoes and rogue sounds can have a big impact on the perceptions of safety and therefore how much people use them throughout the day, and year.
Further findings within the survey showed that good security technology, in the form of CCTV cameras and other deterrents – like dynamic lighting – was considered very important by almost 60% of participants. As such, security experts should be engaged in the early design stages of a public space so that safety is ‘designed in.’ Research showed that more than half of people will call or text a friend or family member on their journey home as the remote presence of a familiar person
ADF JANUARY 2023
improves their feeling of safety. With this in mind, offering free public Wi-Fi, boosting local networks or providing areas like BT’s ‘StreetHubs’ should be a given in developing public realm spaces. Finally, many survey respondents said that familiarity makes a difference to their overall feeling of security when interacting with a space. The use of recognisable design features – for example, using locally sourced building materials in heritage areas, helps to develop more of a connection with place and support users’ psychology. Plus, where ‘feature repetition’ is successfully integrated into the urban realm, users no longer need to be concerned with what ‘lies around the corner’ as a certain level of comfortable predictability takes effect. The issue of public safety is a
multifaceted one that requires multifaceted solutions, and making spaces feel safe in the dark won’t be achieved by thinking tactically. It requires a strategic approach that results in creating open, accessible spaces where people feel ‘seen.’ It’s about making spaces attractive and welcoming, thereby attracting more users, and fostering a sense of civic pride. This requires the industry to take a holistic, innovative approach to how we plan and create spaces. Our research demonstrates the time is now to begin working towards that goal, and the potential results could change the way we all live, work and interact forever. For access to the full ‘Creating Safer Spaces’ white paper, please visit
marshalls.co.uk/saferspaces
Johanna Elvidge is head of design at Marshalls
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
The research shows that people are 12 times more likely to avoid public spaces in the dark than in daylight hours
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