Spatial Analysis of Security and Insecurity in Urban Parks: A Case Study of Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Urban security is of great importance, especially in public spaces like parks, which are considered a place for relaxation, comfort, and recreation. Various crimes occur in such places due to problems such as lack of supervision, large numbers of people, and reduced lighting, which increase the number of defenseless and private places. To analyze the security status of public parks, this study employed geographic information systems (GIS)‐based spatial analysis of crimes in the Tehran metropolis, the capital of Iran. The study includes twenty-four crimes occurring in forty-one parks in Tehran in 2015. Required information was collected by contacting the police department and the weight of each index was determined using an analytical network process. To rank the parks, the PROMETHEE model was applied and graphical statistical methods were used in a GIS environment to detect and display the spatial pattern of crimes. The results of the analysis show that crime is low in central, northern, and southern parts of the city, whereas it is high in the western and eastern parts of Tehran. In addition, there is a significant positive relationship between two variables such as area and park ranks in terms of security. It is essential to detect the place conditions resulting in crime opportunities or simplify it by relying on geographic science principles. Results of this research are of great importance for several organizations in Tehran, such as the Municipality of Tehran, police department, justice system, and other relevant organizations to increase safety in parks and for the development of GIScience in the context of crime analysis.