The zoning of defenseless spaces and prone areas of crime in the city of Ardabil

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Department of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

2 PhD Student of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

3 MSc of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Some places provide greater opportunity for crime occurrence, because of their particular physical and spatial structure, as well as the social and economic characteristics of its inhabitants. Conversely, some locations impede crime opportunities, which forces criminals to look for the least risky and most appropriate opportunity and location conditions to commit their criminal activity. Among the areas with the most opportunity and potential for criminalization, one can mention indefensible urban spaces that are susceptible to crime due to their specific characteristics. Such spaces are one of the major challenges of urban societies which have drawn the attention of many experts in the process of their analysis and interpretation. Global experience shows that we are not only in right path towards better spacing, but are also destroying built spaces. For this reason, there are many anonymous and unfamiliar urban spaces that can have many negative consequences, which in turn can increase violence and fear on one hand and cause insecurity on the other. The occurrence of crime and the formation of crime centers in certain areas of the city can cause citizens irreparable financial, physical and psychological harm. Therefore, it is essential to identify these spaces seems necessary in order to optimally manage them and prevent crime from occurring and creating unsafe spaces.
Methodology
The present study seeks to identify indefensible urban spaces using an applied descriptive-analytical method and by utilizing different techniques such as ANP and VIKOR. The data and information required for the present study were collected by both field and library methods. The library method collects the required information by referring to citation databases, reference libraries and databases of various organizations. In the field method, in order to identify indefensible urban areas, field observation (filling in checklists) and recording the geographical location of the site were performed using field observation method. The statistical population of the present study included Ardebil neighborhoods whose status was investigated in terms of defensibility in 2018. The main components examined in the present study were: • Use of appropriate equipment to monitor space, extent of police and people access to space, extent of space surveillance by residents and pedestrians and vitality, utility and physical-social quality of space. In the data analysis phase, VIKOR grading method was used for zoning neighborhoods in terms of defensible urban spaces, ANP method was used for weighting the research criteria for final overlay of the criterion layers, and fuzzy methods and functions available in the GIS software environment were used to standardize criterion maps.
Results and discussion
According to the outputs of the VIKOR model, it can be said that in the northwest and parts of the western and eastern neighborhoods of Ardabil city, the calculated VIKOR index shows higher values ​​than other neighborhoods. Whereas in the VIKOR model high values ​​indicate undesirable status and low values ​​indicate the desirability of the area in terms of the considered indices, these areas are also considered as areas with very low susceptibility to delinquent behavior. Addition to the aforementioned neighborhoods, other neighborhoods have the least defensible space and are susceptible to crime and are favorable in terms of defensibility. The results obtained from the analysis of urban texture form showed that the majority of indefensible urban spaces or the areas less defensible than other spaces were localized in organic tissues (especially organic tissues related to suburbanization in recent decades) and semi-regular tissues. Neighborhoods like Jin Kandi (Iran Abad), Yahya Abad, Kazem Abad, Mirashraf, Salman Abad, Rasoul Akram, Karim Abad, Nezam Abad, Vahdat, Panah Abad, Kheir Abad, Oruj Abad, Araz Ali, and Golmoghan, Molla yousef and Molla Bashi villages with less defensibility, have an organic and semi-regular tissue. Therefore, it can be noted that inattention to urban planning standards and disregarding them in constructions can lead to the formation of neighborhoods that, due to their characteristics, will become a scene of criminal behavior and put citizens’ safety in danger. Therefore, urban managers are always expected to pay particular attention to the requirements of urban planning and environmental design principles in order to reduce or prevent the formation of defenseless urban spaces in order to avoid potential risks in future planning years.
Conclusion
The results of the present study indicate that ignoring a particular neighborhood within the urban area and disregarding an appropriate planning for these neighborhoods to guide their physical development, although can save costs in the short run, But in the long run will inflict a lot of damage on the city and the citizens. An example is evident in the north, northwest and west areas of Ardebil, as well as the villages integrated into the city. So instead of fencing around the city and rejecting new people, we should renew our thinking and take a holistic step in planning and directing their physical development and empowering and educating the residents living in these neighborhoods. It is in these conditions that we can achieve the goal of urban planning that is to provide a healthy living environment along with peace of mind. It is hoped that urban planning managers of Ardebil, using the results of the present study, will take an effective step towards the desirability of urban spaces in Ardabil and increase their capability in terms of safety equipment utilization, desirable accessibility and monitoring and physical-social quality of urban spaces.

Keywords

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Geographical Urban Planning Research (GUPR)
Volume 7, Issue 4
January 2020
Pages 785-806

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