Exploring the interactions between society, wellbeing and urban spaces: An investigation of safety and morphological attributes focusing on human experiences

Abstract

Urban spaces are the heart of cities, where social relationships and daily activities occur. This study examines the safety and morphological characteristics of urban spaces to investigate habitability, placing a strong emphasis on human experiences. The interactions between urban space and society largely depend on these environments' morphological attributes. A correlational approach integrated quantitative and qualitative dimensions, using a questionnaire and participant observation to examine the interactions between people and urban places in a Mexican city. This research aims to uncover how urban spaces are lived and felt by their inhabitants. The study focuses on two specific urban areas in Ensenada, Mexico. It incorporates a subjective analysis from the perspective of an architecture expert, complemented by the application of 192 perception surveys. This approach enables a comparative analysis of human experiences in areas sharing similar social patterns. The findings suggest that specific morphological attributes, such as controlled access and visibility through lighting, contribute to a greater sense of community safety, eliciting emotions like satisfaction when engaging in everyday activities in a perceived safe environment. This analysis contributes to understanding how urban spaces are perceived and used and how these environments impact social and emotional well-being. Furthermore, this study offers a methodological contribution to interdisciplinary research by providing an innovative participatory approach that encourages reflection on the emotional fabric of places, shaping wellbeing at an urban scale by considering how communities perceive the world.