Urban landscapes of fear and safety: The case of Palestinians and Jews in Jerusalem

Abstract

This paper conceptualizes the way fear contributes to the formation of various urban landscapes of fear and safety. To this end, this study unravels the ongoing and mutually constitutive relations between perceptions of fear, spatial practices, and the formation of specific urban spaces, and it shows how together, these attributes portray a unique and multilayered sociospatial map of the city. To identify and examine the landscape of fear and safety, this study focuses on Jerusalem, a city of deep conflict between Israeli Jews and Palestinians. The empirical work is based on a sample of 625 residents from Jerusalem: 318 Jews and 307 Palestinians. By mapping their perceptions of fear and spatial practices, we are able to tell a new story about the city and its sociospatial divisions. We propose an understanding of the landscape of fear and safety through a three-pillar model that brings together the different actors, their (power) relations and an evolving urban landscape.