Women feel more fear than men in public space and when using public transport. This is an inequality in our society which limits women’s mobility and access to public goods. This study aims to qualitatively explore how women experience their public transport trips from a perceived safety perspective in a study of Gullmarsplan. Which elements women focus on during the trips and what they perceive as unsafe was explored, as well as what behaviors and strategies women use to manage their fear of crime. This was explored by first collecting travel diaries using a whole journey approach and then by narrowing the study down to performing walk-alongs in the walking environment at Gullmarsplan. The study found that women focus mostly on the social environment and that their reflections on the physical environment usually are related to perceived indicators of social incivilities and risk of victimization. Gullmarsplan was generally perceived as quite safe during the day but during evenings and nights most women avoided certain places which usually were secluded, difficult to survey or were perceived to attract dangerous others. Defensive adaptation strategies, mainly avoidance strategies and vigilance, were found to be the most commonly used safety strategies by women. Women’s fear of crime likely cannot be completely designed away in the physical environment but will require structural changes that promote gender equality in our society. With that noted, it is important that urban planners and designers are aware of how the physical environment affects women’s perceived safety. This study found that principles of CPTED generally made women feel safer, particularly important were good lighting and natural surveillance. Green spaces such as parks were found to often be avoided by women after dark. The geographical location and use of safety principles such as CPTED is thus especially important at such locations. Urban planners and designers have the power to shape public spaces that are accessible and safe. Public policies and design that promote equality in access to and use of public space is a feature of a more just democratic society.

Les paysages de grands plans et cours d’eau, abondamment étudiés, sont reconnus pour leur caractère exceptionnel. Toutefois, peu de recherches portent sur les paysages de ruisseaux ruraux et agricoles. De plus, un grand nombre de transformations se sont opérées sur ceux-ci au Québec, et depuis les années 1990, ceux qui habitent leurs berges sont de moins en moins agriculteurs. Alors, quelles sont les valeurs et valorisations portées par les riverains envers ces paysages ? Cette étude vise à révéler les valeurs et valorisations accordées à ces ruisseaux par les riverains grâce à l’étude d’un cas type de ruisseau agricole. En effet, l’étude porte sur un tronçon du ruisseau Vacher, dans Saint-Jacques et Sainte-Marie-Salomé (Lanaudière), dont le statut a régressé de « cours d’eau central au développement » à « fossé agricole accessoire ». Dans le cadre d’une caractérisation paysagère, une analyse de photos aériennes et des visites de terrain ont révélé des vues filtrées ou fermées sur le ruisseau et un cadre bâti qui lui tourne le dos. Cela pourrait indiquer que les paysages du ruisseau Vacher ne sont pas valorisés. Or, quinze parcours commentés avec des riverains ont documenté des valeurs qui lui sont associées, comme les valeurs environnementale, identitaire et de cadre de vie. Les répondants les valorisent (ou les valorisaient) aussi par des pratiques récréatives. Ainsi, le ruisseau Vacher est associé à des valeurs et a fait l’objet de valorisations. Celles-ci favorisent des réflexions quant aux interventions possibles pour contribuer tant au bien-être des riverains qu’aux impératifs environnementaux. / Vast bodies of water are known for their exceptional features and are abundantly studied. Conversely, only a few studies have been focused on the landscapes of rural and agricultural streams. Considering that those watercourses were modified significantly and that, since the 1990s, fewer people residing next to them are farmers, landscape values may have changed. This research aims to study the value and valuation accorded to a rural or agricultural stream’s landscape by local residents. This is a case study of Vacher stream in Saint-Jacques and Sainte-Marie-Salomé (Lanaudière), which was perceived as “central to development” and then as a “small agricultural ditch”. Therefore, what values and valuations do the locals give to this stream and its landscapes? As part of a landscape characterization, aerial photos analysis and field work revealed that views on the stream are filtered or closed and that houses erected on its banks turn their back to it. However, fifteen walk-along interviews with residents documented many values associated to Vacher stream’s landscapes, such as environmental, identity and living environment values. Furthermore, respondents valorize (or valorized) the stream through recreational practices. Thus, Vacher stream and its landscape are imbued with values and valuations. Those promote reflections about possible interventions that could contribute to the resident’s well-being and to environmental imperatives.