Designing safe street for women

Abstract

Urbanisation is increasing rapidly and street design are affected due to current needs which are depending on motorised vehicles. Street become a thouroughfare and pedestrian needs are neglected. The charm of old street where priority were given to pedestrian and cyclist has lost. Pedestrian needs are constantly affected by the changing of built environment especially for women. The way women perceive a safe environment is rather different compared to men even though men do face risk in the environment. In order to create a safe street, the elements are not merely on the street but physical and social elements around it. The design of built environment does affect the way people perceive and behave. The aim of this research is to explore women’s perception of safety in the streets of Kuala Lumpur particularly at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. The study adopted a mixed-method approach of qualitative and quantitative in order to understand the safety perception among women that will later establish the relationship between built environment and human psychology. Respondents were selected randomly around Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Questionnaire survey forms were distributed and structured observation was conducted at interval period at these streets to examined and assess women’s behavior. Finding shows that fear does affect women’s perception and physical design of the streets are important in affecting their behavior.