The Safe City: Safety and Urban Development in European Cities (EURICUR Series (European Institute for Comparative Urban Research))

As numerous local authorities of European cities invest in the attractiveness of their urban areas in the hope of attracting new inhabitants and economic activities, safety has become a topical subject. Perceived safety is a major factor in a city's attractiveness and fear of crime can have a large impact on location decisions, with ensuing economic consequences. This book examines the role of security in urban development and its local policy implications. Comparing eleven European cities, it analyses how actual and perceived security is evolving, and what the economic, social and spatial consequences are of a changing perceived security. While crime has decreased in eight of the eleven cities, fear of crime has increased in all of them. This book discusses the factors influencing this fear, including the role of the media, the quality and maintenance of the built environment, socio-economic inequality, calamities and terrorism. It examines how these ingrained perceptions of insecurity can persist, and require more innovative local safety policies and the involvement of a larger number of actors and other forms of social policy, such as education, employment and improving social cohesion.