2.1 Literature Review

Figure 3: How safety is defined

SAFETY Crime

Motor Vehicles

Street Widths

Populated Spaces

Note : By, Author (2022)

Safety is defined as “the condi�on of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk or injury” (Soanes, & Stevenson, 2009). Happiness without safety is impossible, feeling safe permits an overall feeling of contentment; o�en subconsciously. Baggini, 2008, discovers that people, specifically living in the United Kingdom, seek happiness through the form of comfort over discovery; comfort being something that can only be found within a safe environment. Although, the majority of research agrees that safety is crucial in all urban environments, the defini�on of safety varies. Common themes rela�ng to safety include crime rates and vehicular traffic (Pfeiffer & Clou�er, 2016; Moura�dis, 2019 & Gehl, 2010). Overall urban structure has an immense, perhaps some�mes accidental, effect on overall safety; both perceived and experienced. Street safety is discussed, having life in the street is crucial for increasing both perceived and experienced safety. Jacobs, 1961, considers various concepts rela�ng to this, “street watchers” and “eyes on the street”, present the importance of having both life on the street but also in the buildings surrounding; we feel safer around other people. Connec�on between people and buildings will not only help reduce crime rates (crucial for safety) but also will improve overall social interac�on (Slim, 2019).

A development that has increased the gap between humans and buildings is the motor industry. Cars ‘invading’ ci�es over 50 years ago has increased the fear of traffic accidents which in turn has had a nega�ve impact on perceived happiness (Gehl, 2010). The nega�vely impacted perceived safety is combined with a nega�vely impact actual (experienced) safety with various sources providing an increase in traffic accidents in an urban environment since 2015; the start of the ‘healthy new towns’ ini�a�ve (Cabrera-Arnau, & Bishop, 2021 & GOV.UK., 2022). More populated roads has subsequently meant the narrowing of sidewalks and therefore a decrease in walkability of the city again having a further nega�ve affect on overall happiness.

Safety is clearly an integral part in crea�ng happiness in a place, with ideas such as popula�ng spaces and buildings throughout the day and having more pedestrianised streets. These are concepts that are being embedded into many urban projects but, with safety as not the overriding reason.