Perceptions of safety and the physical environment : a case study of the Old City in Knoxville, Tennessee

This study examines the relationship between safety enhancing environmental design attribute analysis and perceptions of safety using the Old City in Knoxville, Tennessee as a case study. A detailed examination of the physical attributes of the area was used to divide the area into zones from relatively unsafe to safe. Then an on-site survey was done to evaluate actual perceptions of those same areas relative to one another. The results of the environmental evaluation were then compared to the actual perceptions. The results of the study were not sufficient to prove that safety enhancing environmental design attribute analysis is unquestionably predictive of actual perceptions of safety. The study concludes with the recommendation that the safety enhancing environmental design analysis not be used in lieu of completing an actual perception of safety survey where possible because of the amount of effort involved and the accuracy of results.