The manifestation of street safety and security as spatial (in)justice in selected small rural towns of Vhembe District, South Africa

Abstract

Safe and secure street spaces for pedestrians translate to spatially just urban environments. This study examined pedestrians’ safety and security elements on street spaces in three selected Small Rural Towns (SRTs) in South Africa and assessed the users’ physical perceptions of street safety and security in SRTs and their implications on spatial (in)justice. Forty-three street spaces from three SRTs in South Africa were purposively sampled and assessed in this study. The study adopted a mixed-method approach and a street safety spatial (in)justice case study survey design. Data were collected through key informant interviews, a questionnaire survey and observations. The distribution of safety and security elements across the studied 43 street spaces reflect the existence of justices and injustices concurrently. Users’ theoretical perception of the meaning of street safety differs significantly from their actual experiences. The study recommends that the design and management of streets be informed by users’ vision of street safety and security and innovative project financing strategies by local municipalities to ensure spatial justice on street spaces.