Mapping of insecurity

possible paths for designing public spaces from a gender perspective

Abstract

For women, the use and appropriation of urban space occurs through a mental map of fear, from which they choose routes, times and companies to travel certain routes. The aim of this paper is to identify the elements that constitute the map of fear, in order to establish design guidelines for public spaces. The objects of study are safety audits with women in two squares in the Historic Centre of Porto Alegre (RS). Urban quality safety audits are tools designed to identify the elements of built space and sociability that directly interfere in the conditions of use and appropriation of public spaces by women. Safety audits were carried out for each square in day and night shifts, and to spatialize the data collected in these audits, cartography of insecurity was incorporated: the results were systematized and analyzed using maps. The results show that both squares were seen as unsafe both for walking and for staying. The perception of insecurity was generally linked to an overlap between excessive afforestation and insufficient lighting and use. Two ways of representing the cartographies were tested. One identified as a contribution to the field of urban planning and the other more appropriate to urban design. It is important to highlight that the methodology explores not only the search for answers to the problem based on plans and projects, but also the change in women's perception to enhance the uses and appropriations of spaces.