Feeling Safe in Urban Estates: Learning from Riverwood, Sydney

1 ABSTRACT Feeling safe is a necessity for quality of life. Co nversely, feeling unsafe has a substantial impact o n residents’ quality of life. How does design impact on the perception of safety, and moreover, how can design reduce incidences of crime? Safety is influenced by many social, economic, and wellbeing factors that affect residents’ experiences of their built environments. Neighbourhood and urban design – which are liable to be affected by the perceived quality of local spaces – are likely to be significant factors influencing b roader residents’ feelings of safety.