The influence of the surveillance factors towards the residents' perceptions on safety at the shared outdoor spaces in gated community

Abstract

Focusing on high rise residential gated community, this article concentrates on evaluating the effectiveness of surveillance factors in gated community in influencing the residents' perceptions of safety at the shared outdoor spaces. Five common shared outdoor spaces in gated community were identified based on the literature review and extensive observations. These were measured and tested through a combination of questionnaire surveys, in-depth interview and unstructured direct observation techniques.Results revealed that the effectiveness of natural surveillance gave the most significant influence on the residents' perceptions of safety in the shared outdoor spaces compared to the organized surveillance and mechanical surveillance in gated community.