Put the Brakes on Crime to Accelerate Walkability: Design parameters for a Safe Walkable City

摘要

This paper presents findings of a pilot study conducted by Curtin University Australia and EMBARQIndia, with an objective of exploring safety concerns of people while accessing metro stations.Increasingly, the notion of improved walkability to increase public transport patronage has beengaining momentum. Some physical-environmental features such as providing Accessibility andSafety against crime are fundamental in contributing to walkability.This study, while exploring the safety concerns, aims to establish if built form design influencespeople’s perception of safety and if yes, to identify these design parameters. The paper constructs amethodology and a safe street rating system that may be applicable to other cities worldwide.Safety audit tool was developed based on CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design)theory, Space Syntax theory and ‘Walkability of Indian Cities – CAI Asia’ study. Observationalsurveys and peoples’ perception surveys conducted around Indira Nagar metro station, Bangalorewere compared for each safety criteria as set out in the audit tool establishing a strong relationshipbetween the design of the built environment and people’s perception of safety in that environment.The paper presents the analysis and proposes a set of built form design parameters that influencepeople’s perception of safety while accessing metro stations.