Do surveillance cameras improve perceived neighborhood safety? A case study of Nanjing, China

Abstract

Increasing residents' safety perception is essential for their health and wellbeing, and is of great importance when it comes to neighborhood planning and policy design. Despite the rich body of literature that explores the correlates of perceived neighborhood safety (PNS), the research on the effects of camera-based surveillance technologies on PNS is limited. Most existing studies merely examine the differences in individual perceptions and acceptance of surveillance technologies, but overlook important neighborhood context. Therefore, this study explores how surveillance cameras, as a typical example of camera-based surveillance technologies, can influence PNS and how this influence varies according to neighborhood features or is moderated by other security strategies (i.e., gating). The results show that perceived amounts of surveillance cameras is the most important factor determining PNS and its effect relies on neighborhood characteristics. Increasing the number of surveillance cameras and making them visible to residents may be efficient strategies for improving PNS, however, tailored policies should be formulated by accounting for neighborhood peculiarity.