Jack L. Nasar

Fear of Crime in Relation to Three Exterior Site Features: Prospect, Refuge, and Escape

This article examines fear of crime in relation to exterior site features on a college campus. The authors propose and test a theoretical model that posits that places that afford offenders refuge, and victims limited prospect and escape, will be seen as unsafe. In three studies, the authors observed behavior, obtained responses to site plans and on-site responses to perceptions of safety in relation to exterior campus areas that varied in prospect, refuge, and escape. The findings confirmed that fear of crime was highest in areas with refuge for potential offenders and low prospect and escape for potential victims. In places such as campuses, which have pronounced fear of crime, designs that manipulate prospect, refuge, and escape could reduce the fear of crime, as well as opportunities for crime.

‘Hot spots’ of fear and crime: A multi-method investigation

Abstract Crime and fear of crime concentrate in some areas called ‘hot spots’. Hot spots relate to at least two levels of reference—macro (neighborhood) and micro (proximate). Although the study of macro-level characteristics may uncover broad patterns of fear, it neglects proximate cues that can have direct effects on pedestrian experiences. In areas having macro-level conditions that contribute to a climate of fear, micro-level cues may explain site-specific hot spots of fear. On a university campus with a climate of fear, we examined the effect of three proximate exterior site features (prospect, concealment, and boundedness) on fear of crime, spatial behavior, effectiveness of police surveillance, and reported crime. The research also evaluated the accuracy with which measures of macro-level fears reflected site-specific fears. Hot spots of fear and crime converged at the micro level. Both fear and crime increased in areas characterized by low prospect, high concealment, and high boundedness. Measures of macro-level fears missed site-specific effects. The results suggest that increases in prospect, and decreases in concealment and boundedness may enhance feeling of safety and reduce crime. The discrepancy between macro and micro measures suggests that research and planning should consider both macro- and micro-level factors.

Environmental aesthetics : theory, research, and applications

How do people react to the visual character of their surroundings? What can planners do to improve the aesthetic quality of these surroundings? Too often in environmental design is misunderstood as only a minor concern, dependent on volatile taste and thus undefinable. Yet a substantial body of research indicates the importance of visual quality in the environment to the public and has uncovered systematic patterns of human response to visual attributes of the built environment. With information on the subject normally scattered between disciplines, this book provides a vital service in bringing together classic and new contributions by distinguished workers in the field.

Mobile telephones, distracted attention, and pedestrian safety

Driver distraction is a major cause of traffic accidents, with mobile telephones as a key source of distraction. In two studies, we examined distraction of pedestrians associated with mobile phone use. The first had 60 participants walk along a prescribed route, with half of them conversing on a mobile phone, and the other half holding the phone awaiting a potential call, which never came. Comparison of the performance of the groups in recalling objects planted along the route revealed that pedestrians conversing recalled fewer objects than did those not conversing. The second study had three observers record pedestrian behavior of mobile phone users, i-pod users, and pedestrians with neither one at three crosswalks. Mobile phone users crossed unsafely into oncoming traffic significantly more than did either of the other groups. For pedestrians as with drivers, cognitive distraction from mobile phone use reduces situation awareness, increases unsafe behavior, putting pedestrians at greater risk for accidents, and crime victimization.

Landscapes of Fear and Stress

Fear of crime is a major urban stressor. Certain areas-hot spots of fear-evoke higher levels of fear than others. In conditions of general wariness, certain proximate cues should evoke site-specific fears. This research examined 3 proximate cues to fear: physical entrapment, and 2 aspects of concealment-hiding places and dark spots. Twenty-six college females walked a route after dark and reported their feelings into a recorder. Content analysis of the comments revealed that concealment and, to a lesser extent, entrapment evoked fear. Such knowledge can inform policy to reduce fear and stress.

Pedestrian injuries due to mobile phone use in public places.

Research shows that pedestrians, similar to drivers, experience reduced situation awareness, distracted attention and unsafe behavior when talking or texting on their mobile phones. The present study centered on injuries related to mobile phone use among pedestrians. It used data from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on injuries in hospital emergency rooms from 2004 through 2010. It found that mobile-phone related injuries among pedestrians increased relative to total pedestrian injuries, and paralleled the increase in injuries for drivers, and in 2010 exceeded those for drivers. Pedestrian injuries related to mobile-phone use were higher for males and for people under 31 years old. Using a mobile phone while walking puts pedestrians at risk of accident, injury or death.

Symbolic Meanings of House Styles

For Post-Modern architects and others with an interest in architecture that communicates desirable meanings to the public, empirical study of the meaning inferred from styles can be helpful. This research examined the connotative meanings laypersons infer from various home-styles, the variability of those meanings with sociodemographic characteristics and region, and whether architects share or know public meanings. Adiverse sample of 118 adults in Columbus, Ohio, and 102 adults in Los Angeles rated six styles of homes in terms of desirability, and the friendliness and status of assumed residents. In total, 65 architects in Columbus answered the same questions and tried to guess how the Columbus public responded. Laypersons in Columbus and L.A. displayed remarkably similar patterns of response. Significant effects of style revealed that both groups rated Farm and Tudor as most desirable, Mediterranean and Saltbox and least desirable, Farm as most friendly, Colonial as unfriendly, Colonial and Tudor as highest in status, and Saltbox and Mediterranean as lowest in status. Differences in meaning emerged in relation to sociodemographic characteristics, and the architects responded differently from and misgauged the public responses.

Proximate physical cues to fear of crime

Fear of crime is a serious problem on university and college campuses. Although fear has many causes, one potential source of fear may arise from the design of the physical environment. In areas having a climate of fear (from incivilities or other factors), proximate cues in the surroundings may affect feelings of safety. In theory, concealment, blocked prospect into the concealment, and blocked escape contribute to fear. Following one study that tested this theory in a highly atypical building, the present study extended the test to a more typical campus outdoor space. Fear-maps elicited from students were compared with physical indices of concealment, blocked prospect, and escape. As predicted by the model, fear related to the presence of trees, shrubs and walls which provided concealment, limited prospect and blocked escape. The results highlight the importance of the role of uncertainty in environmental response and suggest that reductions in fear and opportunities for crime on campus may be achieved through changes in the character of campus outdoor spaces.

The beauty and the beast: Some preliminary comparisons of ‘high’ versus ‘popular’ residential architecture and public versus architect judgments of same

Abstract This research examined differences between the features of ‘high’ and ‘popular’ style residential architecture and between responses to those styles by architects and non-architects. Forty slides (20 of each style) were scored in terms of physical properties. They were also rated by 20 architects and 20 non-architects. The research identified distinct physical features of each style. ‘High’ style residential architecture had fewer materials, more concrete, simpler forms, more white, and off-center entrances. They were judged as more complex, novel, and exciting. ‘Popular’ style residential architecture was characterized by use of more building materials, horizontal orientation, hip roofs, framed windows, centered entrances, and warm colors. Architects and non-architects differed in how they characterized and evaluated the two kinds of buildings, Architects rated the ‘high’ buildings as more clear, coherent pleasant, relaxing, and meaningful. Models of preference revealed that both groups favored novelty and coherence (or clarity), but the non-architects favored simplicity and ‘popular’ attributes, while the architects favored complexity and ‘high’ attributes.

The Restorative Effects of Roadside Vegetation Implications for Automobile Driver Anger and Frustration

Anger and frustration may contribute to unsafe driving and may trigger instances of aggressive driving or road rage. Research shows that stress, fatigue from the exercise of directed attention, or a combination of these factors can exacerbate anger and frustration. It also suggests that exposure to vegetation can facilitate recovery from stress and fatigue. Can highway vegetation mitigate automobile driver anger and frustration? We assigned 106 participants at random to view one of three video-tapes of highway drives, which varied in the amount of vegetation versus man-made material. The experiment obtained Speilberger State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) measures of anger before and after video exposure and obtained a measure of frustration tolerance after the video. No significant effect on anger emerged, but the results for frustration tolerance showed higher frustration tolerance (respondents spent more time on unsolvable anagrams) after exposure to videotapes with more vegetation. Parkway design and roadside vegetation appear to have restorative effects in reducing frustration.