amongst the qualities defining attractiveness of public spaces, is the sense of safety. The perception of safety in the built environment may relate to urban boundaries. This paper investigates the impact of urban boundaries in Cairo, Egypt upon the sense of safety perceived by architects and non-architects. This study aims to know how the perception between architects and non-architects differ. Towards this objective, the study first explores the literature to extract variables that promote the perception of safety as well as the different classifications of urban boundaries. Then, it undertakes quantitative analyses of a structured questionnaire that involved 138 participants in different open public spaces in Cairo. Based on the theoretical findings, the questionnaire addressed ten factors that influence the perception of safety in relation to twenty types of urban boundaries that were grouped under six main categories. The analyses concluded that counters, kerbs, shelters, stones, grass and ramps mostly promoted the perception of safety for both groups. However, they prioritized the influence of fences, walls, kiosks and hedges upon perceived safety in a different way. The findings of the study should help the designers of public spaces take more informed decisions towards promoting users’ perception of safety in the built environment. |
