Analysis of the relationship between nighttime illuminance and fear of crime using a quasi-controlled experiment with recorded virtual reality

Abstract

By employing a quasi-controlled experiment with recorded virtual reality (VR), this study examines the impact of nighttime illuminance on fear of crime in four narrow streets without sidewalks in Seoul, South Korea. In April 2021, the horizontal and vertical illuminance of four streets was measured at 13 different time slots between 6 pm and 11 pm, and immediately afterward, the environment of the streets was recorded with a 360-degree camera. 101 young adult participants were asked to answer the level of fear of crime perceived in each video while experiencing 10 randomly selected VR videos out of 40 using head-mounted display. The results of the cross-classified multilevel analysis show that fear of crime can be reduced not only by enhancing average and minimum horizontal and vertical illuminance levels but also by improving the uniformity ratio of illuminance. In addition, the results are more evident in the video taken in the residential areas (Sites A and B) than in the commercial areas (Sites C and D). These results could be applied to nighttime illuminance management in narrow urban streets.