Perception Aspects in Underground Spaces using ... - TOI - TU Delft

Figure 4: View over the platform. Underground metro station in Washington DC, USAEscape (A 2 )If a person feels entrapped or intimidated by the presence of others, in order to avoid the situationthey may want to leave the space, or in other words, to escape. If there are any obstructions in thesurroundings, which may hinder their attempt to escape, the feeling of fear may arise (Korz,1998; Fisher and Nasar, 1992). It is interesting to note that there is a relation between anoverview and escape. Fisher and Nasar (1992, p. 61) showed that the “possibilities for escapetended to vary with prospect and when possibilities for the escape were low, fear of crime washigher”. This is further explained through the fact that a good overview would provide apossibility to an individual to notice the eventual offender and act on time in order to avoid thesituation. Fisher and Nasar (1992, p. 40) define a degree to which a space affords opportunity forescape as “either an exit route from a potential threat, or a connection to others who couldrespond in case of an attack”. Having this definition in mind, the following spatial aspects canhave a role in determining the degree for escape possibilities:•= Layout in sense of spatial organization but also related to the positioning of all elements thatcould obstruct the escape•= Clarity/spatial continuity – space should be easily understood so that it provides aninformation regarding exits•= Accessibility – whether the escape routes are on the same or different level and whether theyare easy to find, or in other words, the perception by people that there are enough escaperoutes is important•= Adjacency – closeness of the exits from any given point in the stationVisibility/light (A 3 )This aspect may seem to be similar to the overview, but there is a difference. Under this aspectwe consider the lighting level upon which our ability to see is greatly dependent. Variousresearches have shown the relationship between the amount of light, the feeling of public safetyand amount of crime (Van der Voordt and Van Wegen, 1987; Stollard, 1991; Korz, 1998; Galen,1999). In relation to crime, some research “suggests that 40% of night-time street crime occurs- 31 -