Security Analysis in Urban Spaces Using Space Syntax Technique (Case Study: Saghari-Sazan Neighborhood, Rasht)

Nowadays, with the expansion and development of cities and urbanization, the need for security in various dimensions is felt more than ever and in ways different from the past. A safe urban space results from multiple and extensive physical and tangible features, which also have reciprocal effects on each other. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between spatial configuration components and the level of security in urban spaces using the space syntax technique. Based on a descriptive–analytical method, this research first reviews the concept of security and the definitions provided by scholars through library and documentary resources. Then, according to these perspectives, the criteria and indicators influencing the security of urban spaces are identified and presented in the conceptual framework of the study. In the next step, using the governing components of the space syntax technique (integration, depth, connectivity, and choice) and analyzing them in Depth map software as a research tool, the level of security in the Sagharisazan neighborhood of Rasht is evaluated. The findings indicate that the main streets of the neighborhood enjoy the highest level of security, while intermediate spaces such as alleys and cul-de-sacs, which have lower integration, connectivity, and choice, along with greater depth, are considered isolated spaces and therefore have lower security. Accordingly, the design of local street structures should be carried out in a way that strengthens integration, prevents isolation, ensures greater connectivity, and generates more movement flows, thereby increasing social surveillance and enhancing security in urban spaces. This is because the degree of security in urban spaces has a significant relationship with the flow of citizens’ movement and the possibility of their surveillance, which constitutes the most important factor in citizens’ sense of safety.