Researchers at Brussels Dutch-Medium Free University VUB have developed an app to measure in real time the extent to which people feel safe on the streets of Brussels. The ‘Moment’ app was launched on Monday.
Someone staring at you, rubbish on the street, poor street lighting, few or no escape routes or little greenery are all factors that can contribute to an increase sense of insecurity on the streets of Brussels. However, this is difficult to measure using traditional survey methods or by looking at the crime statistics. Researchers from the Sociology Department at Brussels Dutch-Medium Free University (VUB) have devised an app to collect data on how safe people feel on the capital streets.
The app is called ‘Moment’, referring to exact moment at which a person feels a person feels unsafe at given location in Brussels. The app has already been tested at the VUB’s campus is the Brussels municipality of Elsene. Initially it was only tested by women and the number of people that took part in the test was small.
Most of the students that took part rarely felt unsafe there, except during student parties.
How does the app work?
The Moment app is for everyone over the age of 18 that is often in Brussels. Once they have shared their location those that use the app are sent short questionnaires in real time about how safe they feel. The app is comparable to BeReal app, except that it doesn’t require a photo to be taken.
Dr Petrus te Braak told VRT News that "The app is a scientific tool, but at the same time it is accessible and focused on what people truly experience. With Moment, we aim to make visible everyday experiences that are difficult to capture in traditional research."
Professor Theun Pieter Van Tienoven says that “Those participating in the research do not need to recall their feelings from days ago. The app asks short questions at the moment an experience occurs. We are convinced that this will provide much better data”.
Citizen science
During the coming months Dr te Braak will analyse and monitor the the data collected. “I would rather have each user enter multiple locations than have lots of different users enter a single location.” This is a citizen science project in which anyone can participate.
Data collection will continue until the summer. “We need enough data to make well-founded conclusion. So, it is important that at least some app users also visit locations, that are less frequented. In the first phase, we will collect broad data this will be followed by in-depth analysis and public debate”, Dr te Braak said.
Participants will contribute for 4 weeks. After this the app will deactivate itself. All responses will remain anonymous.
The app covers 110 locations in the capital. Including the big railway stations and other busy areas such as Flagey, the Dansaertstraat and the Kunstberg. Less frequented locations such as the Wilderbos in Sint-Agatha-Berchem and the Albert Park in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek are also included.
"I didn’t choose these places myself. We selected them based on input from the grassroots. I visited dozens of markets and spoke with focus groups and neighbourhood coordinators" Dr te Braak said.
Night and day
From previous research Petrus te Braak knows that there can be a difference in how safe people feel at a given location between day and night. Various factors can influence how safe people feel. Exercise machines install in parks, like the park at Thurn & Taxi scan have a bearing on how safe people walking on the paths nearby feel.
He emphasises that it is crucial to realise that feelings of safety and insecurity are always time-bound. "I have quotes from women in Anderlecht that say that their neighborhood feels safer when RSCA is playing, because there is more police then. In the summer, women suffer more from inappropriate comments about how they dress. I also intend to take such seasonal differences into account."
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