You Don’t Need More Lighting. Rethinking Urban Behaviour Through Environmental Psychology
- Humanics Collective
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Urban safety isn’t always about what happens in a space—it’s about what people think might happen. A park might be statistically safe, but still feel unsettling. A shortcut might be legal and well-lit, but still avoided after dark. Why? Because behaviour in public space is shaped as much by psychology as it is by policy.
Environmental Psychology (EP)—the science of how people perceive and respond to their surroundings—offers a powerful lens for improving behaviour and wellbeing in urban areas. Especially when it comes to one key issue: the feeling of safety.
People respond to what a space tells them—without realising it
Research shows that small environmental cues have a big influence on how we behave. We scan our surroundings for subtle hints: is this space cared for? Is someone likely to see me here? Does it feel like a place where I belong?
A 2020 study conducted in Malmö, Sweden, examined the relationship between environmental features and perceived safety in parks. It found that better lighting and more visible, walkable paths increased perceived safety—especially for women and older adults—while encouraging more walking and use of the space in the evening hours
When a place looks neglected, people avoid it—or treat it carelessly
The "broken windows theory" suggests that visible signs of disorder—like rubbish, graffiti, or overgrown vegetation—can signal a lack of informal social control. People then start to avoid these spaces, even if there’s no real threat present.
Research backs this up. Wilson and Kelling’s foundational work on broken windows introduced in The Atlantic in 1982 has been tested in later studies, including a 1996 paper which demonstrated that cues of disorder significantly impacted perception of safety and likelihood of use.
👉 Source: Keizer, K., Lindenberg, S., & Steg, L. (2008)
Additionally, studies have found that people are more likely to use parks that are well-maintained and easy to navigate. For example, one Danish study showed that parks with clear sightlines and intuitive paths were used more often by groups typically underrepresented in public space, such as older adults and caregivers with children.
Social presence matters more than surveillance
Surveillance, like CCTV, can deter some forms of crime—but it doesn’t necessarily make people feel safer. What does? Seeing others around, doing ordinary things—walking their dog, sitting on a bench, chatting.
Environmental cues that suggest “soft occupation”—small-scale, non-threatening activity—have a strong impact on perception. Design elements such as benches facing each other, dog bowls, or informal gathering spots subtly suggest that people belong here and are using the space.
A 2021 study on CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) concluded that perceived safety was far more positively influenced by signs of natural surveillance and presence of others than by formal surveillance infrastructure.
Design can increase equity by reducing behavioural barriers
Not everyone perceives public space in the same way. A shortcut might feel convenient to some and unsafe to others. Wide plazas can feel liberating—or intimidating. That’s why EP-informed design focuses on perception as much as performance.
Sweden’s “Tryggare Stad” (Safer City) initiative applied psychological audits to neighbourhood paths to assess how different groups felt about their environment. Findings led to micro-interventions—like trimming particular types of vegetation, adjusting light placement, and improving entrances—which helped spaces feel safer to previously excluded users.
👉 Source: Uittenbogaard, A. C. (2018), Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention
So, what’s the takeaway?
Behaviour in cities isn’t just shaped by crime stats, rules, or signage. It’s shaped by how a space makes you feel. And those feelings are shaped—often unconsciously—by design.
The good news? Once you understand the psychology behind behaviour, you can change it. You can make a shortcut feel safer. You can make a park feel welcoming. You can invite people to stay, rather than rush through.
These aren’t massive interventions. They’re small, targeted, evidence-based tweaks that reshape how space is perceived and used. And they’re surprisingly achievable—when Environmental Psychology is part of the project from the beginning.
