Ongoing Research

When the Map Says Safe, but the Street Says Otherwise

Maps used in planning strategies often represent neighborhood safety through crime rates, socio-economic conditions, and infrastructure. However, children and caregivers perceive the streets from their eye level. For instance, along school walking priority routes in Cleveland, vacant lots could show signs of overgrowth, hidden areas, dilapidation, poor visibility, and signs of neglect. These factors may influence safety perception at street level despite the fact that they are not reflected in existing data sets as it has proper physical safety structures.

This research investigates the potential impacts of the visual features of vacant lots, from a street-level perspective, on perceptions of safety, independent of crime and socio-economic conditions. The study utilizes data on school walk routes, vacant properties, crime, and vulnerable neighborhoods in addition to the street-level imagery analysis that includes vegetation, visibility, enclosure, maintenance, physical disorder, and human activities.

Preliminary analysis suggests that the safety map can ignore the vacant lots in close proximity which lack visibility, maintenance, and order. Instead of treating such places as problematic, the project investigates the impact of their visible attributes on walkability in a neighborhood. The aim of this research is to improve perceived safety of school routes by bringing attention to the public sector. By revealing the inconsistencies between the safety maps presented by authorities and the experience of the residents, this research is able to contribute towards a safer commute for school children as well as resource allocation in places where there is neglect of the environment and vulnerability of society.