1st Edition

Transit Crime and Sexual Violence in Cities International Evidence and Prevention

Edited By Vania Ceccato, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris Copyright 2020
    382 Pages 96 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    382 Pages 96 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    How cities are planned and designed has a major impact on individuals’ mobility and safety. If individuals feel unsafe in public transportation or on the way to it, they may avoid certain routes or particular times of the day. This is problematic, since research has also found that, in some cities, especially those in the Global South, a large percentage of women are "transit captives". Namely, they have relatively less access to non-public forms of transportation and are, therefore, especially reliant on public transport. This issue is important not only because it affects people’s safety but also because it influences the long-term sustainability of a city. In a sustainable city, safety guarantees the ability to move freely for everyone and provides a wider sense of place attachment.

    Transit Crime and Sexual Violence in Cities examines the evidence of victimization in transit environments in countries around the world, exploring individuals’ feelings of perceived safety or lack thereof and the necessary improvements that can make transit safer and, hence, cities more sustainable. The book’s contributions are grounded in theories at the crossroads of several disciplines such as environmental criminology, architecture and design, urban planning, geography, psychology, gender and LGBTQI studies, transportation, and law enforcement. International case studies include Los Angeles, Vancouver, Stockholm, London, Paris, São Paulo, Mexico City, Bogotá, Tokyo, Guangzho, Melbourne, and Lagos, among others.

     

    PART I - Transit Crime and Sexual Violence: An Introduction

    Chapter 1. Sexual Violence in Transit Environments: Aim, Scope, and Context

    Chapter 2. Sexual Harassment on Transit: Evidence from the Literature

    Chapter 3: Why Sexual Crimes and Fear of crime Happen in Transit Environments: A Review of Theories

    Chapter 4. Studying Sexual Harassment in Transit Environments: Research Design and Basic Concepts

    PART II: Case Study Cities

    Chapters 5-7. Asia: Tokyo, Guangzhou, Manila

    Chapter 8. Oceania: Melbourne

    Chapter 9. Africa: Lagos

    Chapters 10-12. South America: Bogota, São Paulo, Rio Claro

    Chapters 13-16. North America: Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver, Mexico City

    Chapters 16-22. Europe: Stockholm, Huddinge, Lisbon, London, Paris, Milan

    PART III - Understanding Transit Crime and Sexual Violence: Crosscutting Themes

    Chapter 23: Intersectionality of Transit Safety

    Chapter 24: Incidence and Reporting: Making the Invisible Matter

    Chapter 25: The Importance of the Transit Environment: Does It Affect the Risk of Sexual Victimization?

    Chapter 26: Precautions and Responses

    PART IV – Conclusions

    Chapter 27: Sexual Crime on Transit: A Global, Comparative Look

    Chapter 28: Responding to Sexual Harassment on Transit: Towards an Agenda for Research and Practice

    Biography

    Vania Ceccato is Professor at the Department of Urban Planning and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. She is the author of several books, including Moving Safely: Crime and Perceived Safety in Stockholm's Subway Stations, and co-editor of Safety and Security in Transit Environments: An Interdisciplinary Approach.

    Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris is Professor of Urban Planning and Associate Dean of the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA. She is the author or editor of eight books, the most recent of which are: Informal American City, Transit-Oriented Displacement or Community Dividends?, New Companion to Urban Design, and Urban Humanities.

    "This is a pioneering book that contributes to the understanding of power and sexual harassment overall. It visualizes the right to mobility and to safe spaces as crucial for work, education and participation in public life. "

    —Anna Wahl, Professor, Gender, organization and management, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden

    "A much-needed source of literature that addresses an overlooked issue systematically on global scale. As indeed, this is not a "women’s issue", but a fair and standard urban and transport planning issue, an everyday mobility need, an essential service provision issue, a common sense, and simply a basic human right to be able to travel and do his/her activity safely and freely. A good reference for everyone who wishes to provide an inclusive, seamless, door-to-door journey, for everybody."

    —Yusak Susilo, Professor, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria

    "This book comprehensively focuses on the horrendous impact of sexual harassment and assault in public transport on women students worldwide, highlighting an innovative set of parallel studies which reveal how much fear for their personal security affects the lives of these students and how little public officials have done to respond."

    —Sandi Rosenbloom, Professor, Community and Regional Planning, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

    "The book is the product of critical reflection on current transit crime and sexual violence globally in both the Global North and Global South. Each piece seeks to characterize the dynamics of transit crime, in particular, sexual harassment and violence, from the perspective of those who are most targeted by these offences, namely young people and women. Focus is given to the relationship between safety and the types of environments that individuals are exposed to when they travel, which means that the book adopts a whole journey approach to safety."

    —Juma Assiago, Head, Safer Cities programme, UN-HABITAT