METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSALS FOR DEFINING A TOOLKIT FOR DESIGNING SAFETY IN URBAN SPACES

In the field of urban research on the relationship between urban safety and urban space planning, experts are paying particular attention to the need to define flexible guidelines for the design of inclusive green spaces that are capable of fulfilling the many functions they can perform while ensuring adequate safety for their full use by local communities. This article addresses the issue by proposing some operational hypotheses, assessing whether it is better to start research from the safety or environmental perspective: in one case, integrating and adapting national and international guidelines on urban safety or, in the other, integrating environmental protocols at neighbourhood level. Some academic and educational experiences will be presented and discussed, identifying critical issues and possible future directions for research. An experimental environmental protocol at neighbourhood level is proposed, derived from the integration of safety indicators with some of the best-known protocols at national level, highlighting the operational complexity of its practical application. The second experimental attempt consists of a reinterpretation, mainly in terms of design, of European standard TC 325. Finally, a third model is mentioned with reference to the urban safety toolkit, with a gender-based approach, developed and applied to the Madrid Norte neighbourhood. The three methodological proposals, despite the limitations of their contexts of application, show positive results for the design of safe green public spaces, opening the way for further experimentation and methodological improvements in research.