Can Street Design Help Lower Violent-Sexual Crimes?

The Problem

Violent-Sexual Crimes (VSC) are a significant issue in many cities. Poor street design is often blamed for these crimes. But what if redesigning streets could help reduce them?

The Idea

The concept isn't new. Studies have examined how individual factors like lighting or trees affect crime. However, most have not considered multiple factors together.

The Study

A recent study aimed to do just that. Researchers used the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) to identify the most critical design factors. They then scored these factors based on their findings.

Methodology

• Google Street View and Semantic Segmentation were used to study streets.
• 15 streets in London were randomly selected for analysis.
• QGIS was used to analyze the streets.

Results

Streets with better design scores had fewer VSC incidents.

Limitations

• The study only focused on one area in London.
• Results may not be applicable everywhere.

Conclusion

Good street design might help lower VSC rates, but it is not a magic fix. Many other factors also play a role.