ChairforArchitecturalInformatics DepartmentofArchitecture TechnichalUniversityofMunich TheWayHomeatNight PercievedSafetyontheStreetsofNeuperlach
KaiwenYang/HaoyangWang
2 TheWayHomeatNight ChairofArchitecturalInformatics Prof.Dr.-Ing.FrankPetzold CriticalModeling IvanBratoev,NickFörster,FrankPetzold HaoyangWang 03762515 KaiwenYang 03764524
3 4 6 8 10 12 16 18 24 Topic EthnographyWorkshop ResearchPhase GrasshopperSimulation Storyboard&Manifesto ConceptDevelopment Prototype Outlook TableofContents
4 Topic Whatisperceivedsafety?Itreferstoanindividual’s“generalisedjudgements aboutthechanceofinjuryorloss.” The experience of the people is an essential aspect of city life, and feeling safe isacrucialpartofthatexperience.Inadditiontotheactualriskofcrime,the perceivedsafetyofurbandwellersisalsoanimportantconcern.Perceived safetyrefersto“theriskofbecomingavictimofcrimeanddisturbanceof publicorder”(Uittenbogaardetal.,2018,p.60) Inabroadsense,thediscussion ofperceivedsafetyisconcernedwith public spaces.Forindividuals,ithasdirectimplicationsformobility,behaviour,and qualityoflife.Greaterfeelingsofsecuritycanencouragetheuseofurban spacesand contributeto moreliveable cities;on theother hand,existing sites maybeunderusedwhentheyareseenasundesirable,threateningplaces wherecrimesfrequentlyoccur. AftervisitstoNeuperlachandinterviewwithresidentswefoundseveral uncovered safety issues. Even though the crime rates in this region are relative low,certainfactorsmakepeoplefeelunsafe.Densetrees,oversizedroads, groupsofdrunkteenagers,dimstreetlightsatnight...Allthesefactorsmake thisarealackapproppriatingurbanspaces,whichisalsothecoreissuethat weneedtofocuson.
5 Perceived safety refers to anindividual’s“generalised judgements about the chance of injury or loss.” (Canterbury District Health Board) Affects mobility, behaviour, and quality of life For the individual Better perceived safety contributesto more liveable cities For the city Whatisperceivedsafety?
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WemadeaquestionnaireaboutstreetsafetyinNeuperlach,andrandomly interviewed15people,whoaredifferentinages,gendersandimmigrant backgrounds, as the picture on the right illustrates, pink lines represent streets theintervieweechooseatnight,yellowlinesshowstreetsmakethemfeel safer,bluelinesindicatetheunsaferstreets.
Localresidentsconsiderthatwiderroadsaresafer.Wepreconceived thatpeoplewouldbemoreattractedtolivelypublicspaceatnight,such astheplazainfrontofPEP,ratherthanchoosingwiderroadswherelack infrastructure,forexamplebenches,caféandshops,andlivelycrowdson bothsidesoftheroad.However,whatisinstarkcontrasttothepredictionis thattheU-BahnandPEP(ashoppingmallnexttotheNeuperlachZentrum Station)aregenerallyconsideredasunsafebecauseofsmokingordrinking teenagers. Furthermore,genderhasagreatinfluenceonperceivedsafety.Malestend tothinkthateverywhereissafe:Evenifthegroupsofsmokingordrinking teenagersseemmenacing,theywon’tresultinarealthreattothem.Onthe contrary,womentendtothinkmanyplacesareunsafe,andsomeofthem evendon’tgooutatnightatall.
EthonographyWorkshop
Basedontheresults,wedecidedtorecommendroutesaccordingtoage, genderetc.
7 Surveyonresidents:whichstreetsaresafetoyou?
8 Vegetation ❏ Vegetation typeand location ❏ Vegetation density ❏ Tree height ● Google Earth ● Open Street Maps Street features ❏ Street light ❏ V s bility ❏ Accessibility todestinations ❏ Presenceof litter/graff ti ● Observation ● Open Street Maps ● Secondary analys s: DecodingSpace Facilities ❏ Benches,postboxes,b ke racks ❏ Parks &playgrounds ❏ Shops ❏ Schools ❏ Hosp tals ● Observation ● Open Street Maps ● Goog e Street V ew Buildings ❏ Building height ❏ Building function ❏ Forresident a building:no of people liv ng nside ● OSMBuildings ● Arcmap Factorsthataffectpercievedsafety ResearchPhase According to the collected data and survey on residents, we listed some factors, whichwouldaffectpercievedsafetyofthepedestrians.Aftercomparing thefeasibilityofdatacollection,fourfactorsconsistingofvegetation,street features,facilitiesandbuildingshavebeenconsidered. Locationsoftrees,facilitiesandbuildingswereextractedfromOpenStreet Maps,locationsofstreetlights,benches,postboxesandbikerackswere collectedthroughobservation, andbuildingheight wasextractedfrom Gizmo plugin in grasshopper. In order to simulate the pedestrians under the influence ofthesefactors,allthedatawouldbeimportedintograsshopperlaterand calculated.
9 StreetSafetyin Neuperlach Whatkindofsafety evaluation perceivedsafety objectivesafety tools availabledata crimerate trafficaccidents factors consideration:whatarepeopleactually afraidof? roadanalysis pedestriansimulation googleearth openstreetmap street graffiti vegetation cleanliness streetlighting infrastructures numberofpeoplearound gender ethnicity culture decodingspace pedsim culebra policeoffice heightoftrees widthofstreet functionofthegroundfloor roads buildingentrance populationestimate immigrationbackground width visibility numberofcars distancefrombuildings penetrability(howmanypathsleadingto thedestination) height density maintenance presenceoflitter spacing luminosity whetheritisobstructed parks benches playgrounds kiosks,shops surveypeopleinNeuperlach targetgroup:peopleonthestreets
•Brightness,which includeslocation anddensity ofstreet lights(attraction)
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•Facility,which includesshops, streetobjects, humanity,safety andsource offilth(repulsionforsourceoffilthandattractionfortheothers)
Vegetationisaspecialfactor.Whenthedensityoftreesisrelativelow,itwill provideattractiveforce,whichincreaseswithtreedensity.Whenthedensity oftreesexceedsacertainvalue,attractionwillturnintorepulsion.
PedestrianSimulation
GrasshopperSimulation
Spawncountbasedonbuildingvolumn Differentkindsoffacilities
•Transportation,whichincludespublictransport,bike,railwayandparking (attraction)
•Vegetation,whichincludeslocationanddensityoftrees(attractionor repulsion)
Qulebrapluginwasusedforpedestriansimulation.Wesetattractionand repulsionfor thedifferent factors,which wouldaffect thewalking directionsof thepedestrians.Thefollowingfactorshavebeenconsidered.
11 Attractionradius Repulsionradius Colourvisualisation basedon densityin agrid Correspondingcirclesofattraction Vegetation Brightness
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Wethenconceivedourmanifesto,inwhichcavemenbecameahumorous symbolforordinarycitizensandtigersthedangerthattheytrytoavoid.The motifwaschosenbecause, nomatterhowfirmly groundedinlogicone might be,fearisstillaprimalemotionthatsometimescannotbereasonedwith. Themanifestoalsodescribesthechangeinpeople’sattitudeasNeuperlach developsinrecentyears,asthecrimerategoesdown.Thesecondsection ofthemanifestoisafantasticaltranslationofaninterviewwithanactual Neuperlach resident, who lamented that the erection of the new shopping mall hadattractedunwelcomedvisitors–drunkards,tramps,juveniledelinquents –thattheareahadnotseenformerly.(Refertopage15.)
Lastly,wearrivedatourstoryboardasshownontheright,inwhichwe declaredour ambitiousplan tocome upwith adesign toolfor cityplanners to make safer cities. Initially, the city is lifeless and people avoided public spaces becausethey feelunsafe. Astrange oldman bringthe plannersa smartphone containing our software, which allows them to design a new, safer city teeming withlife.Wehadalsoenvisionedasecondaryfunctionforourtool,whichis topointoutasaferoutetoNeuperlachresidentsontheirwayhome.Butthis ideawasscrappedwhenwerealisethatisonlyasuperficialtreatmentfor thesafetyproblem–onlybychangingtheurbanenvironmentthroughmore consideratecityplanningcanNeuperlachbetrulysafeforeveryone.
Storyboard&Manifesto
Ourrudimentary conceptbegan witha collageillustration ofwhat weenvision our final product to achieve. Using satellite imaging, computation and mapping, wewanttoprovideNeuperlachresidentswithaplace-specificsafetyguide, sothattheycanlookoutforspotswithdifferentcharacteristics:theeyes frombuildingsrepresentvoyeuristicgaze,thedarktreesmayovershadow thesky,anddrunkardscanoccupythepublicsquareoverlookedbythelocal shoppingmall,PEP.(Refertopage14.)
13 Storyboard Implementation ResidentsFeedback
14 ConceptCollage:aGuidefortheUser
Thecavemenwouldverymuchliketostayinthecaveatnight. Thecavepoliceareverygoodathuntingtigersdown.Tigersarenowamyth amongthecavemeninNeuperlach. Butthecavepeoplearestillafraidof tigers.Theystillwalkthebigroads. Now theyhavemagical machinesinventedby thecavewizardsthat helpthemtake roadsthatarethemosttiger-free. Interviewwithalocalcaveresident Alothaschangedinthelast10years.
“ImovedintothiscaveIn2002withmycavehusband.Thereweren’tsuch largegreenareaandfancycavesinthepast,buteverythingchangedwhena newbutcherywasbuiltin2011.Theysaidthatthisfantasticbutcherywould attractmorecaveyouth,anditdid.Everydaytheyouthgatherandeatmeat togetherinfrontofthenewbutchery.Theyevenbarkatus.Whocaresabout ourfeeling? Thatmakes meso afraidto goalong thepath ofthe butchery,but that’stheonlywaytomyhome.WhatshouldIdo?”
The cavemen leave their caves every sunrise to look for food. The path to food isadangerousone,filledwith tigers,teenagersandtobacco.It’sgood tosee other cavemen on the same path, because there’s only so many cavemen that atigercaneatatoncebeforeitbecomesfull.
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ExcerptsfromTheCavemanofNeuperlach:AManifesto
Thecavemenarescaredoftigers,becausetigersaretigers.Andthedark, becausetigershideinthedark.
ConceptDevelopment
Theconceptofourfinalprototypeisbasedontheflowchartasshown above.Itwillbeanurbanplanningtoolthatcombinesquantitativeanalysis, thepedestriansimulation,andqualitativeinput,theresidents’opinions.The feedbackfromresidentswillinturnbecomeabenchmarkforplannersto adjustthesimulationaccordingly,sothatitreflectstherealityinNeuperlach withitsuniquecharacteristics.Thesimulationwillalsobecomeaplatform connectingplannersandresidents,whichenablesthemtoreachacommon understandingon whatperceived safetymeans toNeuperlach residentswhile providingsupportforrenovationandfutureurbanplanningprojects.
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Cityplannersandcitizenscouldworktogethertoimprovethepercieved safetyinNeuperlachbyplayingthegame.Theurbanplannerswouldgivea introductionaboutpercievedsafety,getthesecuritylevelofeachstreetas wellashelpustoimprovethesafetymodel.Atthesametime,thecitizens couldhavea betterunderstandabout percievedsafetyin theirlivingarea and howthefactorsaffecttheirsafetyfeelings.
SafetyDesignWorkshop
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Theprototype willbe usedin aworkshop settingas aplatform fordiscussion.
There‘retworolesforselection,whichcouldalsobeswitchedwhileplaying. Inthecitizen‘sperspective,theycouldwalkinandexperienceplacesthey arefamiliarwithinagame.Inthisprocesstheycouldidentifyproblems thattheyusuallydon‘tnoticeonthewayhome.It‘sarareopportunityfor themtodiscusswithcityplannersface-to-faceandtheyarefreetogiveany suggestionsorraiseissues.Throughtheexplanationoftheplannersthey couldhaveabetterunterstandingofperceivedsafety,whichalsohelpsthem togivesafetyratingonindividualobjectsandvoteon
18 Prototype
newfactorscreatedby planners.Futhermore,it‘sreallyauniqueexperiencetowalkwithsimulated pedestriansandobservethebehaviourofvirtualpeople.
Inordertoletourusersviewtheirlivingregionfromtheperspectiveofa planner,wegivebothplannersandresidentstheopiniontousethesystem intheplanner‘sview.Inthismode,thesafetyscoreofeachstreetwouldbe shown,whichcouldbe areferenceforurban renovation.Theycouldalso add orremoveobjectsinscenewhilesafetyscoreofthestreetarechangedat thesametime. Mostimportantly,they haveaccessto residents‘opinionsand information,whichareimportantbasisforthemtodecidewhichrenovation measuresaremoreurgent.
19 FlowchartofUnityPrototype
20 Simulationandevaluation:What’sinasafetyscore? Howdidwe constructthesimulation andcalculateour safetyscore?Spawns aregeneratedfrombuildings,withcustomisablebehaviours.Abovearealist offactorsthatattractsorrepelsaspawn.Wecouldadjustthemagnitudeof attraction/repulsionforcestothespawn.And,basedonthelocationofthese factors,theirrankedimportanceandmagnitudeofattractionandrepulsion force,asafetyscoreiscalculated.
•Textfile:Spawncoordinates,facilities‘position,safetyscorepositionand
•Grasshopperinunity
weightorderaresavedastextfilefordatatransferbetweenunityand grasshopper
•UDPconnection:Thepositionoftheobjectsthataddedintounityscene
Thedataaretransferredbetweenunityandgrasshopperinthreedifferent
ways.
function:streetmodel andcolorsof thesafetyscore heatmapistransferredfromgrasshoppertounitybyusingthisfunction.
istransferred overUDP connectionby synchronizingmouse clickposition ingrasshopper.
21 HowarethedatatransferredbetweenUnityandGrasshopper?
22 Planner-ResidentInteractions Plannersandresidentscouldinteractwhileplaying. •Residentsenter theirprofile (gender,age, nationality,weight ranking)while plannerscouldviewtheirprofile. •Residentsgive thesafety ratingon individualobjects whileplanners could viewtheaverageresident-ratedsafetyscore. •Plannerscreatenewfactorsthataffectpercievedsafetywhileresidents couldvoteonthefactorsbyclickinglikeordislike. Residententersprofile&Plannerviewsprofile
23 Residentratesobject&Plannerviewsrating Plannercreatesfactor&Residentvotesonfactor
24 Outlook Intheprocess ofdecidingwhat makesaplace feelsafe,we hadencountered multiple, sometimes conflicting views in existing literature on perceived safety. Forexample, somestudies showthat densevegetation cangenerate feelings ofunease,whileothersdemonstrateanalwayspositivecorrelationbetween greenspacesandfeelingsafe.Atonepointthesecuritycamerawasraised asapossibility,foritisbothaninstrumentofsafetymanagementandthe demonstrationofsuchcapabilities.Wedecidedagainstitsinclusion,forthe simplereasonthatitgoesbeyondthescopeofperceivedsafetyandborders oncitizensurveillanceandcontrol–dangerouswaterstotreadindeed. Hadwethetimetodeveloptheprojectfurther,itispossibletocompletely automatethe processof grabbingdata fromOSM andgenerate asafety map, completewithobjectsandsimulation.Thishasthepotentialtomakethetool availableforpracticallyeveryplaceonthemap.Tomakeagreaterimpact, theprototypecanalsobemadeavailablebeyondaworkshopsetting,for exampleon agovernment-managed website.The inclusionof thefirst-person viewinthesimulationalsomakespossibleitsimplementationinVirtualor AugmentedReality, whereresidents canwalk aroundand postsuggestions in aconsiderablymorerealisticenvironment.
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26 Contact KaiwenYang 03764524 ExchangeSemester HaoyangWang 03762515 2.Semester(Master)
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