Female restrooms in the tourist destination: how the socio-spatial conditions of public toilets influence women’s perception of safety

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article attempts to conduct a spatial study on women’s public toilets, focusing on how the situational and spatial condition of the toilets influence and challenge the women to utilize, avoid, or delay using public toilets. The tourist destination of Kotatua Jakarta was selected for this research due to its strategic policy dimension for the provision of on-street public toilets. The research method was experience-based user interviews combined with spatial and locational studies, which focused on the surveys and mapping of attribute descriptions and observation behavior. It was found that as well as suitable social and cultural environments, to avoid crime and the fear of crime, female public facilities should have crime prevention mechanisms on the physical nodes (activity), the paths (route), and the edges (the boundary of awareness). The finding drew a spatial paradigm on the connectivity of public toilets to the busy urban street and square, which enhance the natural surveillance. The attendant’s role in women’s toilets and the presence of the mushola strongly influenced the feeling of security. The study suggested design innovation that reflects and reproduces deep-seated cultural norms in shaping the more inclusive on-street public toilet’s design.