The role of urban morphological components on improving the security of public spaces

Urban spaces play a vital role in shaping human behaviors and social interactions. Despite being man-made, buildings and spaces have a significant impact on both individual and social behaviors. The presence of security is essential to ensure a lively and dynamic city where residents can make use of public spaces and participate in social activities. Security is considered a fundamental human need, ranking second in importance according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, following physiological needs. Factors affecting urban security can be categorized into physical groups (including environmental and human-made factors) and non-physical groups (encompassing background and social factors). Physical spaces can reinforce norms, enhance feelings of security and comfort, or contribute to mental distress within society. Urban scholars and experts argue that by implementing urban planning principles, crime, and criminal activities in urban areas can be reduced or prevented, thus enhancing the city's and its residents' security.

The main goal of this ongoing research is to identify the morphological criteria that influence urban space security and examine their impact on safe and unsafe areas. Therefore, the research focuses on identifying and evaluating effective morphological criteria for urban space security to provide morphological recommendations that enhance public space security. The methodology of this applied research is descriptive-analytical. Through library studies, analysis of relevant sources, examination of scholars' theories, and data screening, a new classification of dimensions, components, and indicators of urban space security was presented. Also, based on the research goal, a configuration approach (architectural-based) for analyzing selected areas was considered.

The research area encompasses neighborhoods within District 22 of Tehran Municipality. By utilizing the most recent data from the Law Enforcement Organization, crime reports, incidents, and resident interviews, high-crime areas were identified. These areas were then mapped out as crime hot spots using GIS software and the kernel density method. Based on these maps, a section of Sharif University's neighborhood known for its high security, and a segment of the Sadra neighborhood, identified as an unsafe area, were selected as case studies for this research. To examine the designated indicators and their influence on security levels in the study area, in such a way that it also deals with morphological indicators, techniques like "Space Syntax" and "Urban Network Analysis" (UNA) were applied utilizing software such as "DepthMap" and "ArcMap".

The findings indicate that the examined morphological factors (including street visibility, accessibility, spatial geometry, clarity level, visibility, and surveillance capability of space) have a significant impact on public space security. The objective of this research is to improve the security of the analyzed areas, particularly the unsafe zones, by proposing location-based strategies and recommendations through the development of a visual map. These strategies, based on the principles of "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" (CPTED) theory, include Territorial Reinforcement, Natural Surveillance, Access Control, Target Hardening, Maintenance, and Activity Support.