Fear of Crime among Women in the Old City Center of Istanbul
Affiliation(s)
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
ABSTRACT
Istanbul, the biggest city of Turkey with a population of 17 million people, is a city where both the negative and positive effects of urban life standards are intensely experienced. Along with problems such as migration from rural areas to urban areas, rapid population growth, unemployment and squatting, crime rates have recently been observed to go higher (Yirmibesoglu & Ergun, 2013). The old city center, Beyoglu was infamously known for its high crime rates and fear of crime, but today it seems that this image has changed and the fear of crime has decreased. Among the reasons for this decrease, we can mention the fact that Beyoglu has been through a gentrification process that some buildings have been restored, and that urban design implementations have been done in some streets. This study aimed to find out how fear of crime according to gender differed before and after the renovation process. With this aim in mind, field research and surveys were conducted in 2006 and 2010. The research problem, fear of crime and environmental safety in Beyoglu, was investigated based on certain variables such as the participants’ gender, occupation, duration of residence in Istanbul, the place of residence, age group, place of birth, and educational level; the participants were also asked about the frequency of their visits to Beyoglu and the reasons why they go to Beyoglu. The results of the study revealed the differences in fear of crime between men and women. It was found that Beyoglu district became safer after the renovations; yet, the rate of fear of walking alone, and therefore the fear of crime, was found to be higher among women than among men.
Istanbul, the biggest city of Turkey with a population of 17 million people, is a city where both the negative and positive effects of urban life standards are intensely experienced. Along with problems such as migration from rural areas to urban areas, rapid population growth, unemployment and squatting, crime rates have recently been observed to go higher (Yirmibesoglu & Ergun, 2013). The old city center, Beyoglu was infamously known for its high crime rates and fear of crime, but today it seems that this image has changed and the fear of crime has decreased. Among the reasons for this decrease, we can mention the fact that Beyoglu has been through a gentrification process that some buildings have been restored, and that urban design implementations have been done in some streets. This study aimed to find out how fear of crime according to gender differed before and after the renovation process. With this aim in mind, field research and surveys were conducted in 2006 and 2010. The research problem, fear of crime and environmental safety in Beyoglu, was investigated based on certain variables such as the participants’ gender, occupation, duration of residence in Istanbul, the place of residence, age group, place of birth, and educational level; the participants were also asked about the frequency of their visits to Beyoglu and the reasons why they go to Beyoglu. The results of the study revealed the differences in fear of crime between men and women. It was found that Beyoglu district became safer after the renovations; yet, the rate of fear of walking alone, and therefore the fear of crime, was found to be higher among women than among men.
Cite this paper
Yirmibesoglu, F. and Ergun, N. (2015) Fear of Crime among Women in the Old City Center of Istanbul. Current Urban Studies, 3, 161-174. doi: 10.4236/cus.2015.32014.
Yirmibesoglu, F. and Ergun, N. (2015) Fear of Crime among Women in the Old City Center of Istanbul. Current Urban Studies, 3, 161-174. doi: 10.4236/cus.2015.32014.
References
[1] Berkoz, L., Yirmibesoglu, F., Ertekin, O., & Baral, K. I. (2013). Mahalle OlCeginde Yasli Sosyal Hizmet Merkezleri Mekansal Modeli. ITU Bilimsel Arastirma Projeleri, 36102 No’lu BAP Projesi. [2] Chui, W. H., Cheng, K. K.-Y., & Wong, L.-P. (2013). Gender, Fear of Crime, and Attitudes Toward Prisoners among Social Work Majors in a Hong Kong University. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57, 479-494. [3] Crowe, T. D. (2000). Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Oxford: Butterworth – Heinemann. [4] Ergun, N. (2004). Gentrification in Istanbul. Cities, 21, 391-405.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2004.07.004 [5] Ergun, N., & Yirmibesoglu, F. (2007). Distribution of Crime Rates in Different Districts in Istanbul. Turkish Studies, 8, 435-455. [6] Gilchrist, E., Bannister, J., Ditton, J., & Farrall, S. (1998). Women and the “Fear of Crime”: Challenging the Accepted Stereotype. The British Journal of Criminology, 38, 283-298 [7] Gray, E., Jackson, J., & Farrall, S. (2011). Feelings and Functions in the Fear of Crime, Applying a New Approach to Victimisation Insecurity. British Journal of Criminology, 51, 75-94.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azq066 [8] Hirtenlehner, H., & Farrall, S. (2013). Anxieties about Modernization, Concerns about Community, and Fear of Crime: Testing Two Related Models. International Criminal Justice Review, 23, 5-24.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1057567712475307 [9] IPD (2008). Istanbul Police Department. [10] Macmillan, R., Nierobisz, A., & Welsh, S. (2000). Experiencing the Streets: Harassment and Perceptions of Safety among Women. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 37, 306-322.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022427800037003003 [11] McCrea, R., Shyy, T., Western, J., & Stimson, R. J. (2005). Fear of Crime in Brisbane, Individual, Social and Neighbourhood Factors in Perspective. Journal of Sociology, The Australian Sociological Association, 41, 7-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783305048381 [12] Pain, R. H. (1997). Social Geographies of Women’s Fear of Crime. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 22, 231-244. [13] Painter, K. (1996). The Influence of Street Lighting Improvements on Crime, Fear and Pedestrian Street Use, after Dark. Landscape and Urban Planning, 35, 193-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-2046(96)00311-8 [14] Park, R., & Burgess, E. (1924). Introduction to the Science of Sociology. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. [15] Rengifo, A. F., & Bolton, A. (2012) Routine Activities and Fear of Crime: Specifying Individual-Level Mechanisms. European Journal of Criminology, 9, 99-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1477370811421648 [16] Schweitzer, J. H., Kim, J. W., & Mackin, J. R. (1999). The Impact of the Built Environment on Crime and Fear of Crime in Urban Neighborhoods. Journal of Urban Technology, 6, 59-73.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10630739983588 [17] Shaw, C., & McKay, H. (1942). Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. [18] Smith, W., & Torstensson, M. (1997). Gender Differences in Risk Perception and Neutralizing Fear of Crime: Toward Resolving the Paradoxes. The British Journal of Criminology, 37, 608-634.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a014201 [19] Taylor, R. B., & Covington, J. (1993). Community Structure Change and Fear of Crime. Social Problems, 40, 374-395. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3096886 [20] Taylor, R. B., & Gottfredson, S. (1987). In A. J. Reiss, & M. Tonry (Eds.), Environmental Design, Crime, and Prevention, Communities and Crime (pp. 403-407). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. [21] Thomas, C. J., & Bromley, R. D. F. (2000). City-Centre Revitalisation: Problems of Fragmentation and Fear in the Evening and Night-Time City. Urban Studies, 37, 1403-1429.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00420980020080181 [22] TUIK (2012). 2012 Address-Based Population Registration System. [23] Wilson, J. Q., & Kelling, G. L. (1982). Broken Windows. The Atlantic Monthly, 249, 29-38. [24] Yirmibesoglu, F., & Ergun, N. (2007). Property and Personal Crime in Istanbul. European Planning Studies, 15, 339-355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09654310601017067 [25] Yirmibesoglu, F., & Ergun, N. (2013). Fear of Crime in Beyoglu City Center. Regional Science Inquiry Journal, 5, 75-89.
[1] Berkoz, L., Yirmibesoglu, F., Ertekin, O., & Baral, K. I. (2013). Mahalle OlCeginde Yasli Sosyal Hizmet Merkezleri Mekansal Modeli. ITU Bilimsel Arastirma Projeleri, 36102 No’lu BAP Projesi. [2] Chui, W. H., Cheng, K. K.-Y., & Wong, L.-P. (2013). Gender, Fear of Crime, and Attitudes Toward Prisoners among Social Work Majors in a Hong Kong University. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57, 479-494. [3] Crowe, T. D. (2000). Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Oxford: Butterworth – Heinemann. [4] Ergun, N. (2004). Gentrification in Istanbul. Cities, 21, 391-405.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2004.07.004 [5] Ergun, N., & Yirmibesoglu, F. (2007). Distribution of Crime Rates in Different Districts in Istanbul. Turkish Studies, 8, 435-455. [6] Gilchrist, E., Bannister, J., Ditton, J., & Farrall, S. (1998). Women and the “Fear of Crime”: Challenging the Accepted Stereotype. The British Journal of Criminology, 38, 283-298 [7] Gray, E., Jackson, J., & Farrall, S. (2011). Feelings and Functions in the Fear of Crime, Applying a New Approach to Victimisation Insecurity. British Journal of Criminology, 51, 75-94.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azq066 [8] Hirtenlehner, H., & Farrall, S. (2013). Anxieties about Modernization, Concerns about Community, and Fear of Crime: Testing Two Related Models. International Criminal Justice Review, 23, 5-24.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1057567712475307 [9] IPD (2008). Istanbul Police Department. [10] Macmillan, R., Nierobisz, A., & Welsh, S. (2000). Experiencing the Streets: Harassment and Perceptions of Safety among Women. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 37, 306-322.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022427800037003003 [11] McCrea, R., Shyy, T., Western, J., & Stimson, R. J. (2005). Fear of Crime in Brisbane, Individual, Social and Neighbourhood Factors in Perspective. Journal of Sociology, The Australian Sociological Association, 41, 7-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783305048381 [12] Pain, R. H. (1997). Social Geographies of Women’s Fear of Crime. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 22, 231-244. [13] Painter, K. (1996). The Influence of Street Lighting Improvements on Crime, Fear and Pedestrian Street Use, after Dark. Landscape and Urban Planning, 35, 193-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-2046(96)00311-8 [14] Park, R., & Burgess, E. (1924). Introduction to the Science of Sociology. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. [15] Rengifo, A. F., & Bolton, A. (2012) Routine Activities and Fear of Crime: Specifying Individual-Level Mechanisms. European Journal of Criminology, 9, 99-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1477370811421648 [16] Schweitzer, J. H., Kim, J. W., & Mackin, J. R. (1999). The Impact of the Built Environment on Crime and Fear of Crime in Urban Neighborhoods. Journal of Urban Technology, 6, 59-73.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10630739983588 [17] Shaw, C., & McKay, H. (1942). Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. [18] Smith, W., & Torstensson, M. (1997). Gender Differences in Risk Perception and Neutralizing Fear of Crime: Toward Resolving the Paradoxes. The British Journal of Criminology, 37, 608-634.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a014201 [19] Taylor, R. B., & Covington, J. (1993). Community Structure Change and Fear of Crime. Social Problems, 40, 374-395. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3096886 [20] Taylor, R. B., & Gottfredson, S. (1987). In A. J. Reiss, & M. Tonry (Eds.), Environmental Design, Crime, and Prevention, Communities and Crime (pp. 403-407). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. [21] Thomas, C. J., & Bromley, R. D. F. (2000). City-Centre Revitalisation: Problems of Fragmentation and Fear in the Evening and Night-Time City. Urban Studies, 37, 1403-1429.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00420980020080181 [22] TUIK (2012). 2012 Address-Based Population Registration System. [23] Wilson, J. Q., & Kelling, G. L. (1982). Broken Windows. The Atlantic Monthly, 249, 29-38. [24] Yirmibesoglu, F., & Ergun, N. (2007). Property and Personal Crime in Istanbul. European Planning Studies, 15, 339-355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09654310601017067 [25] Yirmibesoglu, F., & Ergun, N. (2013). Fear of Crime in Beyoglu City Center. Regional Science Inquiry Journal, 5, 75-89.