The urban fabric of crime and fear

Abstract

Cities are places of social interaction. Some social interactions — such as being a victim of crime “ are unpleasant experiences. Even if there is no such thing as a place free of crime, many would argue that a liveable city should aim to control the risk or fear of crime, where a feeling of security underpin a sense of place attachment and the social cohesion of its residents. Security includes individuals” risk of being a victim of crime as well as their perceived safety. Some would argue that, although security is necessary for urban quality of life, prioritising it may restrict social interaction, exclude certain groups of individuals and stigmatise others. Cities cannot aim at being socially sustainable without considering their citizens' security concerns seriously. However, the determination to ensure security must follow policies and practices which have a wide sense of inclusion and fairness. The objective of this book is to provide a theoretical and empirical discussion of security issues in the urban context based on different research traditions. From an academic point of view, the book shows examples of potentialities and limitations within different research disciplines when dealing with urban crime and fear of crime. From a practical point of view, the book has the potential to help practitioners and planners to set out a more realistic agenda for what can be planned and achieved when the issues are crime and fear of crime.