범죄다발공간과 리미널 스페이스의 범죄두려움 상관성 분석 연구

Abstract

(Background and Purpose) This study investigates the correlation between crime hotspots and liminal spaces in urban contexts to elucidate how spatial and psychological characteristics jointly influence the formation of fear of crime. In modern cities, fear of crime extends beyond actual criminal incidents to encompass perceptual and emotional responses shaped by environmental conditions such as lighting, visibility, and maintenance. Drawing upon the integrated frameworks of evolutionary psychology and environmental criminology, this research explores how human adaptive mechanisms for survival interact with urban spatial environments to generate perceptions of fear, anxiety, and avoidance. (Method) The research employed a three-stage methodology consisting of a theoretical review, statistical data analysis, and spatial comparison. First, previous studies and domestic crime statistics were analyzed to identify environmental characteristics of crime-prone areas, including concealment, weak surveillance, insufficient lighting, and neglected management. Data from the Korean National Police Agency and KOSIS (Korean Statistical Information Service) were used to analyze the spatial distribution of crime occurrence and its relationship with urban structural factors. Second, the concept of liminal space, characterized by boundary ambiguity, indeterminacy, and emotional tension, was examined through the works of Van Gennep, Turner, and Trigg. Comparative analysis of urban spaces such as underpasses, vacant lots, and abandoned buildings revealed both structural and perceptual similarities between liminal and crime-prone environments. (Results) The findings indicate that crime hotspots and liminal spaces share core environmental traits: a lack of visibility, reduced social control, and physical neglect. These features activate evolutionary fear mechanisms, causing individuals to overestimate probabilistic risks of crime even in the absence of actual danger. Consequently, such spaces foster psychological unease and avoidance behaviors that undermine citizens’ sense of safety and urban trust. Fear, therefore, is not a mere psychological response but a socio-spatial construct embedded within the urban landscape. (Conclusions) This study concludes that liminal spaces should be reinterpreted not as urban voids or aesthetic failures but as psychological mediators of fear and essential targets for emotional urban design. Integrating cognitive and emotional safety into urban planning could lead to the development of environments that balance physical security with psychological well-being. Future research should employ GIS-based spatial analysis, AI-driven visual perception models, and environmental psychology experiments to quantitatively assess how spatial ambiguity and visibility influence the perception of crime risk. Such interdisciplinary approaches may contribute to establishing a new paradigm of “Emotional CPTED”, emphasizing both environmental functionality and the restoration of social and emotional resilience within urban spaces.