Evaluation of sense of safety and privacy in parks in relation to the topography, the presence of dense vegetation and other people in the area

The presence of dense vegetation in a park, its topography and the presence of people are elements of Appleton's prospect-refuge theory and can affect the level of safety and privacy felt by park visitors in various ways. Here we attempt to identify the nature of the relationship between the height of the observation point in relation to the surroundings (flat, higher or lower ground), the location of dense vegetation (near or far away), the presence (or absence) of other people in the vicinity, and the sense of privacy and safety. We analysed the differences in respondents' assessments for 12 experimental scenarios taking into account the variability of the above factors. The method was based on factorial designs. The respondents rated the variables from a set of visualisations that differed systematically in terms of the independent variables. The study involved 150 people who evaluated computer visualisations of park landscape in terms of privacy and safety. We compared the respondents' mean scores for the experimental scenarios by performing three-way analyses of variance for dependent samples. The respondents considered flat or lower ground without the presence of another person in the vicinity to be the safest. In terms of privacy, landscapes higher up, surrounded by dense vegetation and without the presence of other people in the vicinity, were rated the highest. The results yielded some practical conclusions. Privacy without compromising safety will be offered by places located away from people who might attack (safety) or monitor us (privacy). Flat ground seems to be optimal from the point of view of safety and privacy at the same time - this level is the safest, and privacy may be enhanced by nearby dense vegetation.

Automated summary

Appleton's prospect-refuge theory suggests that the presence of dense vegetation, topography, and people in a park can influence the safety and privacy felt by visitors in different ways. This study aimed to understand the relationship between observation point height, vegetation location, presence of other people, and perceived privacy and safety. The results showed that flat or lower ground without the presence of others was considered the safest, while landscapes higher up with dense vegetation and no other people were rated highest in terms of privacy. The findings have practical implications in terms of providing privacy without compromising safety.