Understanding Night-Time Safety in Delhi’s Urban Landscapes through Quantitative Assessment of Vegetation, Lighting and Ecological Interactions

Abstract

Urban safety has traditionally been framed through visibility, surveillance and standardized lighting factors. In night-time landscapes of Delhi, safety is co-produced by the means of dynamic interactions between the vegetation structure, artificial illumination as well as the stray animal behaviour. This research proposes the concept of “hybrid-safety ecologies” where human as well as non-human interactions together can shape up urban safety outcomes. It further examines how the layers of vegetation – involving trees, shrubs and groundcovers which mediate visibility, enclosure as well as atmospheric perception, while also shaping ecological conditions which influence the animal movement. Artificial lighting likewise extends nocturnal activity but alters animal behaviour by the means of the intensity, which produces unpredictable human-animal encounters impacting the perceptions that involve either risk or comfort. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining field observations, spatial mapping and the perception surveys across the sites situated in Delhi which further intensifies the relationship between lighting characteristics, vegetation compositions alongside the patterns of stray animal activity. The findings reveal the emphasis towards modulation of nocturnal safety by reinforcing the social presence as well as territoriality which is achieved by informal urban elements, including street vendors, shrines as well as community practices. The understanding of vegetation structure as well as lighting compositions on stray animal behaviour, the research offers critical insights and paves way towards designing inclusive as well as ecologically responsive nocturnal urban landscape spaces.