Perceived Danger and Landscape Preferences of Walking Paths with Trees and Shrubs by Women

Aleksandra Lis,Anna Katlapa,Łukasz Pardela,Wu Can,Łukasz Rąbalski

doi:10.3390/su11174565

Abstract

There have been many studies on the impact of urban greenery on perceived danger and preferences, but not many have been conducted in non-English speaking countries. We carried out our research among female university students in Poland, Latvia and China (n = 243), using a photograph rating survey instrument, and presenting slides presenting park landscapes. We compared the impact of the presence of trees and shrubs and their capability of offering concealment, as well as perceived space use intensity on perceived danger and preferences in all three countries. Participants rated the presence of shrubs as a more positive influence on path use intensity and as a negative influence on perceived danger. The link between tree presence and perceived danger in Poland and Latvia is small as well as insignificant in China. In addition, perceived danger turned out to be a mediator of the relations between the presence of trees and shrubs and perceived path use intensity and preference. Our findings support the idea that vegetation in parks could be shaped so that it does not provide place to hide. However, this recommendation is primarily applicable to areas in which the variable ‘perceived danger’ is of importance.

Highlights

A number of studies have shown the positive impact of greenery on reducing the crime rate [1,2,3] and boosting perceived safety [4,5,6]
The greatest differences in the results obtained in individual countries are observed when comparing the extent to which effectiveness of concealment, perceived path use intensity and perceived danger influences preferences
Our findings allow us to draw some practical conclusions: 1. The results we obtained indicate that our attitude to trees in green spaces is hardly related to space safety

Summary

Introduction

A number of studies have shown the positive impact of greenery on reducing the crime rate [1,2,3] and boosting perceived safety [4,5,6]. Fear of crime and perceived danger mean that fewer people make use of green spaces and other areas that contain greenery [12,17,18] This problem affects society as a whole but is more of a concern for women than for men. Gender is one of the most frequently studied demographic variables affecting fear of crime and perceived danger [9,19,20,21,22,23] It has been confirmed again and again that women in dangerous situations experience a higher level of fear and/or have a stronger perception of threat than men [9,10,20,24,25,26,27,28]. Women are afraid of walking through green areas especially after dark [19]

Methods

Results

Conclusion