Gender as a factor differentiating the perceptions of safety in urban parks

The objective of this study was to investigate how gender differentiates the perception of safety in urban parks. Gender was recognized in relation to selected, most important factors providing a sense of security classified into 6 groups: visibility, technical condition, cleanliness, external protection, other park users, and mobility facilities, in order to identify those of them which are significant for women as a group considered to be more insecure in public spaces than men. Survey questionnaires were administrated to a sample of randomly selected park users in Poland (N = 394; men and women) asked to indicate the importance of particular factors in the context of perceived safety. The results showed statistically significant differences in the perception of safety between groups of male and female respondents in the case of more than a half of the factors. This knowledge is crucial for designing more inclusive urban parks, so that they can meet the needs and expectations of both male and female users.