“Experiencing what you cannot read” : Planners’ encounters with embodied knowledge about feelings of safety in public space

Sammanfattning: In the pursuit of planning for inclusive public space, this thesis addresses feelings of unsafety as a hindering aspect of equal access. The aim of this thesis is to explore the role of embodied knowledge within urban planning for understanding feelings of safety in public space. Due to the complexity of socio-spatial relations, I suggest a feminist approach to knowledge creation. The study is based on semi-structured interviews including a visual elicitation with urban planners in Sweden (n=16). My findings show that planners’ conceptualisations of safety relate to an overall focus on social sustainability and a problematic relationship between safety and crime prevention. While multiple methods are being used to understand feelings of safety, such as site audits and citizen dialogues, embodied methods are not (actively) used. There is therefore a need to recognise our bodies as helpful tools for understanding feelings of safety. Furthermore, who we are affects the way we perceive our surroundings as well as our feelings. Thus, urban planning practitioners need to (continue to) be reflexive about their positionalities, as well as to include experiences and perspectives of peoples’ situated, embodied knowledge to create inclusive public space for all.