Safety perceptions in a disadvantaged district in Utrecht the Netherlands. An empirical study in Overvecht.

Abstract

This research explores the safety perceptions of residents moving on and around the Camera Obscuraplein, located in the Overvecht district of Utrecht, the Netherlands. The Overvecht district has been Utrecht's most unsafe neighbourhood for years according to the residents surveys. Because the survey only reports on the closed question: do you ever feel unsafe in your own neighbourhood? , the underlying research explores the reason causingthis feeling of unsafety. Furthermore, how safety can be ensured. This has been researched through qualitative research in the form of (participatory) observations, informal conversations and in-depth interviews with people who live or move on and around the Camera Obscuraplein. The result is an answer to the question of this research: How do the residents of Camera Obscuraplein in Overvecht (Utrecht, The Netherlands) experience and try to ensure their safety in the neighbourhood? Firstly, an image of the neighbourhood is examined from statistics, media, long-term and short-term residents, which shows that a neighbourhood can be viewed from severalpoints of view. Eventually, various factors are elaborated which are mentioned by residents as having an influence on their perceptions of safety. The influences of media, (suspected) crime, (Moroccan-Dutch) youth and the influence of public space are elaborated extensively in this part of the research. These factors are however not of influence for every resident or to the same extent as for another. Finally, there will be discussed how safety can be ensured and promoted, which addresses the importance of social climate and social control. Lastly the role of COVID19 has also been taken into account in this research. Overall, this research shows a variety of factors which influence the extent in which residents are feeling safe or not. Undoubtedly this also depends on personal perceptions and desires. But at the same time, similarities and patterns can be found within these perceptions.