An Analysis of the Components of Urban Park Security (Case Study: Shurabil Ardabil)

Urban landscapes are a platform for social interactions and leisure. These spaces are affected by high population, dense vegetation, unprincipled entrances, low visibility, lack of supervision, limited night light sources, and the possibility of hiding and creating a sense of confusion leading to the hidden occurrence of crime. Due to the low per capita green space in some areas of Ardebil, the city's famous parks are witnessing the presence of a large population. One of these parks in Ardebil is the Shurabil tourist entertainment complex, which is visited by many citizens during the holidays and at night, which makes it difficult to control and monitor the park. In this study, effective components (five main components: access, form and morphology, general perception, pleasure and visual quality, physical and urban management systems) in improving the safety of users in urban landscapes using the AHP model (expert opinion in the field of landscape) are obtained. The hierarchical analysis method was used to determine the weights of each of the obtained components (the obtained data were entered into EXPERT CHOICE software). Finally, fuzzy standardized base maps and weighted overlap maps were presented using ArcGIS software. According to the obtained results, improving security weighing 0.274 is the most preferred component of urban management systems, and then the components of form access and morphology, general perception-pleasure, and visual and physical quality with weights of 0.202, 0.198, and 0.197 were obtained respectively. Also, the sub-criterion of security devices weighing 0.122 was determined to be the most preferred case. (The higher the weight of the components,  means the need for increased security in that component, and vice versa, the lower the weight means security is in a good state). Depending on the scale, location, design, and presence of social groups in the park, solutions were proposed to increase the social dimension of the park (meaning people would be free to move around at all times of the day with more freedom) or to reduce crime. The components used in this research can be an important step for landscape designers and urban green spaces in order to increase the level of security in urban parks and also to improve the safety of users in urban landscapes.